Journal Article

Enhancing Railway Engineering Student Engagement Using Interactive Technology Embedded with Infotainment

Kaewunruen, Sakdirat

2019

Overview

Interactive learning technology is an emerging innovation for future communication-aided teaching and learning that could positively enhance students’ engagement and intrinsic motivation. Due to the virtue of interactive communication, classrooms are now anticipated to enable a variety of interaction-based learning technologies with diverse infotainment (a subset of “serious play”) integrated with practical enquiry-based projects and case studies for employability improvement. In this paper, a comprehensive review of various teaching and learning pedagogies is assessed. Their suitability and association with infotainment and interactive technology is discussed and highlighted. In addition, a recent research activity on interactive communication is presented to form a new teaching application using interactive technology and infotainment (or edutainment) appropriate for student engagement in railway geometry and alignment design classes. The development of the integrated interactive technology and infotainment was implemented and evaluated in a postgraduate railway engineering class. Questionnaires were used to survey students’ experiences in the classes with and without the technology enhanced learning. The outcome clearly shows that students enjoyed and felt they were significantly engaged in the class with the new interactive resources. Their participation and learning performance increased. Despite the favourable outcomes, the flexibility and viability of using this interactive technology still largely depends on the students’ background and their previous experience.

• Publisher: MDPI AG
• Subject: Active Learning / Audience Response Systems / Case Studies / Civil engineering / Classroom response systems / clickers / Collaborative learning / Cooperative Learning / Educational Development / Educational Environment / Educational Objectives / Educational Technology / edutainment / Engineering Education / Feedback (Response) / Foreign Countries / Geometry / Graduate Students / Higher education / infotainment / Instructional Effectiveness / interactive technology / International conferences / Learner Engagement / Learning Activities / Learning Processes / Masters Programs / Outcomes of Education / Pedagogy / Peer Relationship / Prior Learning / railway engineering / Skills / Social networks / Student Attitudes / Student Characteristics / student engagement / Student Motivation / Student Surveys / Students / teaching approaches / Teaching Methods / Technology Integration / Transportation