University of Toronto Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering

Seminar Leader Manual 2011

Engineering Strategies and Practice I (APS111 & APS113) Fall 2011 Last Revision - 18 September 2011 Compiled by the ESP Teaching Team

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Table of Contents
1 2 3 4 5 Introduction to ESP ................................................................................................................. 1 What do we mean by Seminars? ............................................................................................. 1 What is the goal of the Seminar? ............................................................................................ 1 Seminar Logistics.................................................................................................................... 2 Seminar Leader Expectations ................................................................................................. 2 5.1 Preparation ....................................................................................................................... 2 5.1.1 Topics........................................................................................................................ 3 5.1.2 Readings.................................................................................................................... 3 5.1.3 Room Design ............................................................................................................ 5 5.1.4 Format ....................................................................................................................... 6 6 Conducting the Seminars ........................................................................................................ 6 6.1 Questions to Student......................................................................................................... 6 6.2 Questions from Students .................................................................................................. 6 6.3 Seminar Problems ............................................................................................................ 7 6.4 Student Types ................................................................................................................... 7 6.4.1 The quiet student ....................................................................................................... 7 6.4.2 The domineering student........................................................................................... 7 6.4.3 The disruptive student ............................................................................................... 7 6.4.4 The absent student..................................................................................................... 8 6.5 Execution of Seminars ..................................................................................................... 8 6.5.1 Week 1 November 15-19, 2010 ............................................................................. 8 6.5.2 Week 2 November 22-26, 2010 ............................................................................. 8 6.5.3 Week 3 November 29 - December 05, 2010.......................................................... 9 6.6 Evaluating Student Performance ...................................................................................... 9 7 Preparation for Students ........................................................................................................ 11 8 Key Personnel ....................................................................................................................... 11 Appendix A Discussion Guidelines for Seminars ................................................................. A-1 Appendix B Discussion Techniques ...................................................................................... B-1 Appendix C Example Seminar Outline ................................................................................. C-1 Appendix D Seminar Topics from Past Years ....................................................................... D-1

1 Introduction to ESP
Greetings! Welcome to Engineering Strategies and Practice (ESP). This document is intended to be a guide for individuals interested in volunteering as a Seminar Leader in the ESP course. It will answer as many of your questions as possible about the role of Seminar Leader. Questions such as: what you need to do, what you need to prepare and who you need to contact. It will focus on the general preparation and skills required to run effective seminars. As this is a living document we appreciate your feedback. ESP is an innovative course that uses the engineering design process as a context for developing skills in professional communication, problem solving, independent learning, systems thinking and team dynamics. The design process is introduced and real world projects give students a chance to grapple with the challenges of engineering design. Writing and reading, as engineering activities, are introduced. Students will also learn how to identify social, human and environmental factors as frontline design considerations. In the second half of the first term, students will be assigned to a seminar to discuss an engineering-related topic. In small groups, the technical, social, environmental, economic, legal, ethical, political, and/or human factors issues associated with the topic will be debated. Each student will make a presentation on one aspect related to the topic.

2 What do we mean by Seminars?

A seminar is an organized discussion in which students express their opinions and feelings. Though they are often found in other fields of study, seminars are not typical of an engineering curriculum and that is why the ESP seminars are unique. Seminars serve many functions for students. The seminars may help them to learn to formulate theories or concepts in their own words and to suggest applications of these theories or concepts. They may be used to help students discover or define problems in a reading. Or they may function simply to make students aware of alternative points of view and to develop critical and dialectical skills within an environment of respect and tolerance. Often, seminars are the only time students get the chance to voice their ideas and therefore actively engage in a critical part of the learning process.

3 What is the goal of the Seminar?

Intellectually, the seminar serves to help students explore a diversity of perspectives, to see the complexity and ambiguity of the content, to help them recognize the underlying assumptions of their habitual ideas and behaviours, to develop higher level critical thinking ability and to encourage active listening. Emotionally, the seminar serves to show students they are heard and that their voices matter and their experiences and thinking are valued. On an individual level, the seminar helps students to test, expand, revise and create their individual meanings in the context of the group. Socially, the seminar serves to build relationships with other students. The seminar has no expected formal product. The product is meaning, not an answer or a task accomplished. In fact, more questions may be raised than answered. Keeping the goals of the seminar in mind is essential to maintaining the direction and content of the discussion. Seminars 1

are typically organized to either review the material covered in the readings or to extend or enhance the reading material. In either case, it is important that the students do most of the talking. The Seminar Leader should facilitate the discussion so that everyone has an equal chance to be heard and the topic stays on track.

4 Seminar Logistics
Each seminar group will consist of approximately 20-30 students and will be led by a Seminar Leader. The seminar sessions will be held during the last two weeks of November and first week of December. Each session is two hours in duration. One seminar is actually a series of three two-hour sessions. These seminars are replacing the regularly scheduled ESP tutorials which the students were attending in the first two-thirds of the course. Seminar sessions are held on Mondays 12-2pm, Wednesdays 12-2pm, and Thursdays 12-2pm. As a Seminar Leader you should pick one of these days. Since you are expected to meet with the same group of students each session you are not able to mix and match different days. Therefore please let the Seminar Coordinator know as soon as possible if you have a preferred day of the week. We anticipate approximately ten hours of preparation time, primarily the location of appropriate readings, plus the three two-hour sessions with the students for a total time commitment of 16 hours. In addition to participating in the discussion, each student will present a 3-5 minute informal oral presentation. This presentation will address a key area of the topic as identified by the Seminar Leader and will serve as a starting point for subsequent discussion during the seminar.

5 Seminar Leader Expectations

Seminar learning objectives are aimed primarily at getting the students to think creatively, engage their peers and learn actively rather than passively. The Seminar Leader is expected to achieve these goals via readings and discussion. It is important to take on a neutral-guidancequestioner role as a Seminar Leader. Seminar Leaders are responsible for accomplishing the following tasks: 1. Preparing a topic for discussion or asking the Seminar Coordinator for assistance in developing a topic. 2. Attending the three two-hour seminar sessions. Executing the seminars is a matter of facilitating the seminar, not giving it. You should attempt to engage everyone in an interactive learning process and to help them to explore and articulate the theories and their response to them. Be as creative as you can in making the experience an interesting, engaging, good learning experience. Think of it as an experiment in communication. 3. Grading the students in your seminar for class participation and their presentations.

5.1 Preparation
Seminars differ from lectures in many ways. One major difference is that the students can be more active and that there can be more personal contact. Good discussions give students an 2

opportunity to formulate principles in their own words and to suggest applications of these principles. They help students become aware of and define problems implied in readings or lectures. They can also increase students sensitivity to other points of view and alternative explanations. How can there possibly be enough to say to fill the class period? This will be the least of your worries. Your job is facilitating and moderating the discussion, not doing all the discussing. Remember that the discussion is not just a matter of communication with your students. It is a chance for your students to share ideas and pool resources. Part of the planning for a seminar is formulating questions to ask and anticipating the kinds of questions students will ask. Before the session meets, decide what kind of discussion is most useful for your seminar. Is there a certain topic to be discussed? Does the group have to reach a conclusion or come to an agreement? Is the class a forum for expressing and comparing views? Is it important that the students carefully analyze the topic or that they learn certain skills? Seminar Leaders must choose a topic by Mid-October. For topic ideas, see previous sample seminars at the end of this handbook or discuss with the Seminar Coordinator. Readings for their group must be identified by End-of-October.

5.1.1 Topics
The topic should be selected to challenge students to examine engineering activities within the broader constraints that are being presented in the lectures. They should be interesting engineering issues intertwined with economic, ethical, legal, environmental, social, human factor or political issues. Seminar Leaders need not worry that their topic is similar to or different from topics selected by other Seminar Leaders because students will only be attending one seminar.

5.1.2 Readings
Seminar Leaders should assign a maximum of 20 pages of material to read per week. Choose 3-5 short readings (up to 10 pages each). It is necessary to find a balance in the reading material. If material seems too dense, readings should be cut back. If readings appear too easy, assign more. It is also important to choose multiple sources to get more than one perspective. Readings can be selected from both technical and popular literature. It can be a mixture from journals, web sites, government material, textbooks, newspapers, or articles. Not all readings need to be assigned at one time. Additional readings and questions for the 2nd and 3rd seminar sessions can be distributed at the end of the 1st and 2nd seminars, respectively. Finally, Seminar Leaders should prepare a seminar outline providing general seminar instructions and recommendations about reading the material and questions to be considered while doing the readings. See Appendix C as an example of such a seminar outline. You should also note that you can, as an option, replace some readings with an assignment to view or listen to a specific piece of media. This is not required, but merely an option. If assigning multimedia it must be readily available for the students (YouTube, TED Talks, CBC.ca, etc). You can replace some of the readings with media, but not all. We still want the students to get a taste for reading critically.

The simplest way to distribute the seminar reading material to the students is for the ESP Office to post it on the course website. Unfortunately we are unable to do this without permission of any copyright holders. This copyright issue can be avoided either by using material posted on the open internet to which we can link or by using the electronic collections at the U of T Library to which all ESP students have access. Below are some examples of sources in order of preference by the ESP office. 1) U of T Library - Electronic Collection The library has an extensive collection of digital resources, all easily searchable. This collection includes electronic versions of technical publications, but also subscriptions to hundreds of full text mainstream newspapers and magazines. Anything you find in this collection can be linked to without copyright issue. Those Seminar Leaders from outside the university can make use of this collection by requesting temporary library access from the ESP Seminar Coordinator. Example of how to search newspaper articles from the U of T Library: a. Go to: http://link.library.utoronto.ca/MyUTL/guides/index.cfm?guide=news for the U of T Library's newspaper research guide. Note: If you are accessing from off campus you may be asked to log in using your UTorID or the temporary account assigned to you. b. On the left hand side you will find a number of different search options. You can search just Canadian newspapers, or you can search all International newspapers in the database, or you can get specific and search only the Toronto Star. c. Once you have selected your search type pick one of the specific databases listed on the search page and follow the search instructions. d. Once you have found an article you would like you need to retrieve the permanent link to the article. Where this will be located will depend on the database used. For example ProQuest will have a document URL in the article information at the end of the article. Some databases list a permanent link or have a button to copy link. Use this link when communicating your article selection to the ESP Office. If you are ever unable to get the article link then record the article title, publication, and date and ask the Seminar Coordinator for assistance. 2) Google Books Google has scanned and made available on the open internet many full text versions of books through their Google Book Search (http://books.google.com). When the full version is not available sometimes there are partial previews that may have enough content to make for a solid seminar reading. Since these are available on the open internet we can freely link to them. In the upper right hand corner there is a link called link. Click here and copy the top link labelled Paste link in email or IM.

3) Open Internet We are not allowed to digitally reproduce articles, even if they are found on the open internet, however we are allowed to link to them. Just copy the webpage URL from the address bar of your browser. 4) Copyright Holder Permission If you wish to use readings that are not available through the above resources the ESP Office can request permission from the copyright holder. We have had low success in this so far, but on occasion it has worked. Please give as much advanced notice of these requests as possible. 5) Hardcopies This includes any material that is not available digitally but available in hard copy in the library. If we are unable to secure permission of the copyright holder we can put a hardcopy on reserve in the library. This is our last resort as it is our experience that this method greatly reduces the number of students who do the reading.

5.1.3 Room Design

Each seminar will be assigned to a room with movable tables and chairs to facilitate discussion and small group work. Tables and chairs can be rearranged to suit your seminar plan, but we kindly ask that the room be left in the condition in which it was found. Be sure to use the last couple minutes of tutorial and your students to accomplish this so that you are not stuck doing it by yourself. During tutorial be wary of students sitting far apart. Great distances between the Seminar leader and the students can make it difficult to communicate and easier for a student to avoid contributing. It is strongly recommended arranging the chairs into a circle since this breaks the classroom monotony and makes discussion easier. It will encourage everyone to participate and to direct the discussion to each other, rather than to only the Seminar Leader. Also, it is best to avoid the head of the table setup. If the Seminar Leader sits at one end of a long table, the attention tends to focus on that end and the other end of the table starts their own discussion. The solution to this design is for the Seminar Leader to sit in the middle.

Figure 1 - Tutorial room used for ESP Seminar

5.1.4 Format
You decide on how to organize your seminar. The structure of the seminar can vary according to the needs of the group. In the case of a session that covers a lot of material, it would probably be an advantage to provide a defined structure at the beginning. On the other hand, operating a seminar with a loose and less visible structure normally encourages the students to select important ideas and develop more complex thoughts. Regardless always leave room for discussion and feedback. Acknowledge those times when there has been a fruitful exchange of ideas, giving the students a feeling of accomplishment. Finally, reflect upon what has happened in the seminar. Consider whether issues were ignored or key questions only partially considered.

6 Conducting the Seminars

A good way to ensure that your students will be prepared for a seminar is to give them a few pages of assigned readings and have them look for elements such as bias, essential points, and weakest arguments. Another idea is to have the students spend a couple of minutes writing about something they found interesting about a reading and then discuss what they wrote.

6.1 Questions to Student

In order to develop useful questions, always try to avoid ambiguity and dont use closed questions that only require a yes or no answer. Make the questions interesting and relevant by using real life examples that the students can relate to. Also, it is very important that the students be encouraged to develop their own examples when they are dealing with your questions. After asking a question, wait for a response. This can be difficult to do. After a second of silence we want to jump in with the answer. This is not the right thing to do. As painful as it may seem, wait a full 7 seconds before speaking up. Even then do not answer the question yourself, but rather, repeat it, rephrase it, modify it, call on another student to answer it, or replace it with another question after you have waited a couple of seconds. You can also break up the class into smaller groups to discuss certain questions and then come back together as a group to discuss the answers arrived at. When a question is related to a text that the students were expected to read, it is best to make specific references to the text. This will help to develop the students critical reading skills, by showing them what kinds of questions to ask themselves when reading the seminar material. It will also provide students with a model of how to give textual evidence to support an interpretation of a text.

6.2 Questions from Students

Some people like to ask a lot of questions. This can result in a protracted question and answer period that cuts a major chunk out of the seminar and may disrupt the flow of ideas. The Seminar Leader can cut off questioning when it seems appropriate to do so. You can also decide how you field questions. If one student is asking a blizzard of questions, you may have to interrupt and move to other students who have questions. If you cant answer a question immediately, tell the student that you will get back to them later. Remember that this is not a trial and as Seminar Leader, you are not expected to be an encyclopaedia of knowledge. The purpose of the seminar 6

is to generate discussion, not lecture. It is up to the students to create their own knowledge based on the discussion.

6.3 Seminar Problems

Moderating a seminar skilfully requires creating a context of organized spontaneity in which the Seminar Leader gives the students opportunities and incentives to express themselves. Lots of things can and sometimes will, go wrong in your seminars. Some students will dominate. Others will silently brood, not contributing. There may be individual personality clashes and sometimes the group is just too big. Having a large group of students changes the classroom dynamic, forcing more reliance on small group work. Lack of preparation by students is a perennial issue as is dealing with a group with a mix of abilities and motivations. Personal crises or family problems are not necessarily left outside the classroom. One key to effectiveness is being attentive to individual needs and factors whilst also accepting that a group will inevitably have its leaders and its followers. If you find that students are always speaking to you instead of each other, they are probably seeking the authority to speak. Whenever someone asks for your opinion or asks a question of you, turn it back to the group and ask for their opinions or comments. If there is a lull in the discussion, relax. This does not mean you have failed. Every conversation needs a chance to catch its breath. It may mean that your topic is exhausted or it may be a pause for people to digest what they have heard. If a fight breaks out over an issue, then you have a hot topic on your hands! Facilitate! Your major task here is to keep the argument focused on the issues. Do not let it turn personal!

6.4 Student Types

The following is a rough guide to personality types you may meet in the seminar. It also offers ideas about how to involve those who are shy or reticent and how to control others who tend to dominate.

6.4.1 The quiet student

Getting a quiet student to speak out takes patience and understanding. Do not attempt to force a shy student to speak by putting him or her on the spot. Instead, try to encourage a contribution as part of a group activity. Try to give the quiet student an opportunity to speak out. Breaking the class up into smaller groups will provide a more comfortable situation for her or him to speak in front of fewer people.

6.4.2 The domineering student

The opposite of the quiet student is the one who likes to dominate the discussion. As facilitator, you can ask those students who have already contributed to hold back until others have had a chance.

6.4.3 The disruptive student

If a student is continuously disrupting the flow of the seminar, you may ask the student to leave for that session. A single warning is sufficient. If you ask a student to leave then record their name and student number. Report the incident to the Seminar Coordinator. If the student refuses to leave, you are allowed to cancel that session. 7

6.4.4 The absent student

If a student lets you know that they will be absent tell them to contact the ESP Office. They will be required to fill out a petition form to apply for an accommodation. The Course Coordinator will decide the outcome of the petition. If a student is absent and you do not hear otherwise from the Seminar Coordinator, then they are to receive a zero for participation that week and for any missed presentations.

6.5 Execution of Seminars

The following agendas provides one approach that Seminar Leaders can use, but they may follow alternative agendas as well as long as they achieve the learning objectives of the seminar.

6.5.1 Week 1 November 15-19, 2010

The first seminar requires some lecturing to cover the basic science prior to at least one hour of open discussion. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Introduction of Seminar Leader to students and introduction of students to each other. Take attendance. Establish some seminar house rules such as no one person dominating discussions. Explain how you would like the sessions to be structured. Explain the preparation you expect the students to do for each week. Presentation by the Seminar Leader of the key areas of focus to be developed during the seminar. 7. Brief introduction by the Seminar Leader of the initial topic to be discussed during that seminar. This could be done any number of ways including simply identifying a student and asking a directed question (students should have read materials and be prepared in accordance with the Seminar Discussion Guidelines (see Appendix A) provided the previous week). 8. Seminar Leader guides students through discussion. Possible questions are those provided in the Seminar Discussion Guidelines (see Appendix A). Suggestions on ways to introduce discussions or participation can be found in Appendix B. 9. Assign (or request volunteers) students to different topics for their presentations. Topics can be assigned or students can choose. An easy topic for students is to give them a position to take. We recommend that all students be told to prepare for their presentations, but only half will be selected to present in week 2 and the other half presenting in week 3. This guarantees that all students will have their presentation ready. 10. Evaluate students on participation and record in the marking template (see Table 1).

6.5.2 Week 2 November 22-26, 2010

The second seminar focuses on more discussions and presentations. The Seminar Leader chooses half of the students in the seminar group to give a 3-5 minutes presentation on their topic. 1. Take attendance 2. Introductory comments from the Seminar Leader as desired 3. Half of the students in the seminar group present their 3-5 minutes informal presentation.

4. Discussion as per first week arising from presentations. This may occur after each presenter, after groups of presenters or after all presenters, depending on the Seminar Leader preference. 5. Discussions from any additional readings. 6. Provide any additional information to prepare for week 3. 7. Evaluate students on participation and presenters on their presentations and record in the marking template (see Table 1).

6.5.3 Week 3 November 29 - December 05, 2010

The third seminar continues from week 2 with more discussions and the rest of the presentations. The Seminar Leader chooses the remaining students in the seminar group who have not presented to give a 3-5 minutes presentation on their topic. 1. 2. 3. 4. Take attendance Introductory comments from the Seminar Leader as desired Half of the students in the seminar group present their 3-5 minutes informal presentation. Discussion as per first week arising from presentations. This may occur after each presenter, after groups of presenters or after all presenters, depending on the Seminar Leader preference. 5. Discussions from any additional readings. 6. Evaluate students on participation and presenters on their presentations and record in the marking template (see Table 1).

6.6 Evaluating Student Performance

Generally, the preferred method of grading students is on the basis of three general factors: quantity, quality and progress. Quantity refers to how much a student speaks. It is unreasonable and unfair to expect that all students will easily be able to speak, so a large part of your job as a Seminar Leader is to help your students break out of their shell. If you clearly explain your expectation that everyone will make sincere efforts to speak and do all you can to help your silent students, then it will be more than fair to mark the students on this basis. Though it may not be necessary to make a note every time a particular student speaks, keeping this requirement in mind will help you to decide who needs more help during the seminars. In addition, it will provide you with a way of considering the contributions of your students when you sit down to give out the grades at the end. By considering the quality of what a speaker says, you will have some means of assessing the difference between a student who talks a lot and says nothing and a student who only occasionally talks yet always hits the mark. Again, you should clearly explain to your students at the beginning of seminar that not every contribution will be positively evaluated, so they can learn to use judgement before speaking out. Generally, the points youll want to look for are similar to those you would look for in a good essay: a clear understanding of the seminar content, an accurate use of logic, an effective ability to communicate and moral insight. In addition, you should look for skills that are specific to group situations for example, well developed interaction skills and the students overall contribution to the class. 9

During the seminar, you will provide encouragement and feedback to stimulate discussion while also ensuring students remain professional. Seminar participation counts for 3 marks and the oral presentation is worth 2 marks. The participation and presentation marks in total account for 4% of the students final grade. This will be provided by the Seminar Leader using the template shown in Table 1. Each Seminar Leader will receive a template for their seminar group.
Table 1 - Evaluation template

Student # xxxxxxxxx yyyyyyyyy

Name John Smith Jane Doe

Participation Presentation Date week 1 Date week 2 Date week 3 0 0.5 1 0 0.5 1 0 0.5 1 0 1 1.5 2 0 0.5 1 0 0.5 1 0 0.5 1 0 1 1.5 2

The numerical marks in the template correspond to an individuals performance. The Seminar Leader will circle the appropriate number. The numerical marks should be interpreted as in Table 2 and Table 3.
Table 2 - Participation mark

Mark 0 0.5 1

Comment Did not attend or attended but disruptive Attended but limited input to discussion Attended and contributed professionally to discussion

This guide is subjective but should be interpreted within the context of the seminars. In other words, the primary reason to assign a mark is to ensure attendance and participation, but not to rigorously evaluate. For example, it is reasonable for a student who attends each seminar and participates professionally to receive three 1s, or full marks.
Table 3 - Presentation mark

Mark 0 1 1.5 2

Comment Did not present or excessively unprofessional Presentation was minimally satisfactory from both a content and presentation standpoint Presentation was at least minimally satisfactory in either content or presentation and better in the other attribute Presentation was well done from both a content and presentation standpoint

The oral presentation mark is based on two components: content (how carefully and thoughtfully the student has examined the material) and presentation (how well the student speaks). The baseline for minimally satisfactory (1 = 50%) is low did the student give the presentation and is it obvious that he/she read the material? The assignment of marks above 1 indicates that the student was better than satisfactory in either component (1.5) or both (2). For example, the student may have clearly read and thought about the material, but be very nervous during the presentation. This could be a 1.5 mark.

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7 Preparation for Students

Students will receive preparation for the seminars. In their lectures students will receive instruction on guidelines for the seminar discussions and oral presentations (see Appendix A). These include recommendations on how to read critically as well as suggested generic questions to consider.

8 Key Personnel
The following key personnel will assist you with any additional questions you may have: Jason Bazylak Seminar Coordinator & Course Coordinator Engineering Strategies & Practice 5 Kings College Road Mechanical Building 323 Email: jbazylak@mie.utoronto.ca Phone: 416 946-5066

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Appendix A Discussion Guidelines for Seminars

The following information is made available to the students in the course package. They are instructed to use it for preparing for their actual seminar.

Discussion Guidelines for Seminars

During the last three weeks of the term, you will be meeting in groups to critically and professionally discuss an engineering topic under the direction of a Seminar Leader. The following information and guidelines will help you successfully complete this part of ESP I. Seminar Leaders Each seminar group will have a Seminar Leader. Your Seminar Leader is a professional who has volunteered their time to lead your seminar. They can be an instructor of ESP I, an alumnus/alumna of the University of Toronto, a professional in the field or U of T faculty or staff. Your Seminar Leader has chosen the topic and readings for your seminar and will facilitate the discussions, provide additional guidance as needed during the seminars, and assign your mark for seminar participation and your oral presentation. Preparation for Seminars Your Seminar Leader has selected reading materials for you. Remember to check the course portal to find out what you need to prepare for your first seminar and how to acquire the materials you need to read. You may receive additional reading materials in week 1 directly from your Seminar Leader as well. You will prepare for the seminars by carefully reading the assigned materials. You may choose to read these materials in whatever manner you wish, but we recommend the following approach. 1. On the first day that you work on this: a. Quickly read through the general questions (below) and any specific questions provided with the reading material. This will provide you a rough idea of what to look for when reading the materials. b. Quickly read all of the assigned material once through. Do not focus on technical details or try to draw conclusions. Also, do not worry if some of the readings dont make much sense during this first reading. Instead, try to identify the general concepts. c. Take a break from the material. 2. On the second and subsequent days that you work on this: a. Reread the general questions and any specific questions to refresh your memory. b. Carefully read each item of the assigned material a second time. Take the time to try to understand the material. Critically think about the material within the context of the questions and take notes to help you remember important points for the seminar.

A-1

This iterative approach requires advance planning on your part it means that you cannot read everything the night or morning before the seminar. Furthermore, critical reading of technical material is different from light reading for enjoyment. Authors typically try to pack as much information into as little space as possible. While attempting to communicate clearly, authors also assume that readers will make reasonable efforts to understand. General Questions to Consider When Reading Materials Consider these questions for each reading separately and overall after completing all readings. Not all questions are necessarily relevant to each reading. Also, there are no right or wrong answers at this point in the process: 1. What is the problem being examined? There may be more than one. 2. Who are the stakeholders for the problem? Who cares about this problem? 3. Which of the stakeholders want to solve the problem? Why? What is the motivation to solve the problem (there may be more than one)? 4. Which of the stakeholders may not want to solve the problem? Why? What is the motivation to not solve the problem (there may be more than one)? 5. Are engineering solutions presented for the problem? 6. If so, what are the objectives that the engineering solutions attempt to achieve? 7. Which constraints (cost, social impacts, human factors, environmental impacts, etc.) are considered and why? Identify specific examples of each constraint that is considered. 8. Which constraints are not considered? Should these be considered? If so, identify specific examples that should be considered. 9. Are non-engineering solutions presented for the problem? Which objectives are achieved and constraints overcome by these solutions? 10. If solutions are presented (engineering and/or non-engineering), are they appropriate? Has the author carefully considered all objectives and constraints? 11. Does the author have a particular bias? If so what is it? 12. Do you agree or disagree with the author? What is the basis for your agreement of disagreement? Marking of Seminars Seminar participation counts toward your final grade in ESP I. Participation in discussion will be evaluated weekly by your Seminar Leader. Full participation marks will be received for professionally contributing to the discussions. A professional contribution is based on your thoughtful reading of the material yet recognizes that other people may have legitimately different views based on solid technical information. Silence, while professional, is not a contribution you will be expected to actively participate. The short, informal oral presentation will be 3-5 minutes long. Seminar Leaders will assign you specific focus areas during the first week for your presentation. Visual aids are not to be used. A successful presentation will have the same attributes as a professional contribution while covering points requested. See the guidelines below for the oral presentation.

A-2

Guidelines for the Oral Presentation Input Assigned readings Topic area identified by Seminar Leader at first seminar session Constraints Length of oral presentation limited to 3-5 minutes No visual aids Instructions In your oral presentation, you will discuss the topic assigned to you by your Seminar Leader, drawing upon your analysis of the seminar readings. For example, you might be asked to define and explain one key objectives of the project, or to identify the stakeholders involved and characterize their particular interests and concerns. Your audience is the other engineers involved in the project. Hint: When preparing your presentation, look at the notes you took when reading the seminar readings and considering the questions. Your oral presentation need not be memorized; you can have notes or a written outline to assist you in delivering it. Nevertheless, your objective is to clearly communicate your ideas in a professional manner within the time limit, without the use of visual aids such as overheads or PowerPoint slides. Practicing your presentation several times will help you do this successfully. Time yourself carefully to ensure that your presentation is neither too short nor too long.

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Appendix B Discussion Techniques

The following are some techniques to initiate discussion and participation in your seminar. Buzz Groups: Students form pairs, or groups of four or five, to discuss issues from a reading assignment. Questions may or may not be assigned by the instructor and the groups can be allowed 5-15 minutes depending on the complexity of the issues. Poster Tour: Groups of students record their discussion on a flip chart or on the chalkboard. At the end of the allotted time, groups tour all posters in the room. Rotating Stations: Groups discuss an issue for ten minutes and switch positions, leaving their flip chart behind. The discussion then continues, with each group using the flip chart as a new basis for discussion. As an alternative technique, groups can stay in place and trade one or more members. Snowballing: This technique involves progressively expanding groups. Students prepare a question alone, then discuss it with a partner, then join another pair to form a group of four, then eight, and so on until the whole class has been brought together. Jigsaw: Students become experts by researching a topic and explaining it to other students in class. For a class of 25, about 5 topics would be assigned and each student would choose one to research. In class, students who have chosen the same topic gather to raise questions and explore areas of understanding/misunderstanding. Now groups are formed that include at least one expert on each topic; students take turns to lead discussion in the groups. Critical Debate: Students are asked to vote, by a show of hands, on a contentious issue. They are then asked to form a debating team favouring the opposite side to the one they voted for. Each team elects a spokesperson and the debate ensues. Line-up: A line of masking tape is placed on the floor, with each end of the line representing a position on a contentious issue. Students are asked to stand at the point in the line that represents their opinion. To do this, they need to talk to their neighbour about his/her position and develop reasons for their own. Dramatizing Discussion: Students are invited to report their discussions of an issue through some sort of theatrical offering. This may take the form of a role play of the right and wrong way to approach an issue, or may personalize an abstract subject (e.g. Mr. Debit and Ms. Credit in an Accounting class). Drawing Discussion: Students are supplied with flip chart sheets, pens, rulers, scissors and tape. They are asked to provide a visual representation of the important themes in their discussion. They are encouraged to be creative and playful while maintaining an underlying seriousness about the ideas they want to communicate.

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Appendix C Example Seminar Outline

The following is an example of a seminar outline from a seminar that was given in 2008. APS 111 Engineering Strategies and Practice I Fall 2008 Engineering global health: Who should do it and how? Seminar Leader: Dr. Craig Simmons Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, and Faculty of Dentistry Office: MC221 E-mail: c.simmons@utoronto.ca [include APS111 in the subject header] Learning Objectives: To define the role engineers can play in improving healthcare To critically assess priorities for improving health in the developing world To examine the barriers to engineering global health and solutions to overcoming these barriers

Topics to be covered: engineering and technology applied to healthcare engineering ethics and social responsibility Grand Challenges in engineering and global health technical and non-technical barriers to improving global health through technology

Required Readings: For 1st Seminar Defining the problem, solution priorities, and the role of engineers 1) Only Chapter 1 (pp. 9 25) of: World Health Organization. Human Development Report 2001: Making new technologies work for human development. Online at: http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/completenew1.pdf 2) Grand Challenges in Global Health. Online at: http://www.gcgh.org/Pages/BrowseByGoal.aspx 3) Only pages 1 8 of: National Academy of Engineering. Grand Challenges for Engineering. 2008. Online at: http://www.tmp.ucsb.edu/extracurricular/innovation_day_08/grand_challenges_for_engr.pdf

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4) Noor A. Re-engineering healthcare. Mechanical Engineering Magazine. November 2007. Online at: http://www.memagazine.org/backissues/membersonly/nov07/features/reenghc/reenghc.html For 2nd Seminar Assessing priorities and opportunities for improving global health 5) Daar A, et al. Top ten biotechnologies for improving health in developing countries. Nature Genetics. 2002; 32:229-232. 6) Salamanca-Buentello F, et al. Nanotechnology and the developing world. PLoS Medicine. 2005; 2:383-386. Open access journal available online at: http://www.plosmedicine.org 7) Greenwood H, et al. Regenerative medicine and the developing world. PLoS Medicine. 2006;3: 1496-1500. Open access journal available online at: http://www.plosmedicine.org 8) Malkin R. Design of health care technologies for the developing world. Annu Rev Biomed Eng. 2007; 9:567-87. For 3rd Seminar Examining the barriers to improving global health and potential solutions 9) Singer P, et al. A tough transition. Nature. 2007; 449:160-163. 10) Saravia N, et al. Plumbing the brain drain. Bulletin of the World Health Organization. 2004; 82:608-615. 11) Parsons L. Engineering in context: Engineering in developing countries. Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice. 1996; 122:170-176. 12) Hanson K. Case Study: The Outbreak. The Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University. Online at: http://www.scu.edu/ethics/dialogue/candc/cases/outbreak.html 13) Only Overview (pp. 1 - 8) of: World Health Organization. Human Development Report 2001: Making new technologies work for human development. Online at: http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/completenew1.pdf 14) Free M. Achieving appropriate design and widespread use of health care technologies in the developing world. Overcoming obstacles that impede the adaptation and diffusion of priority technologies for primary health care. International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics. 2004; 85 Suppl. 1:S3S13. Preparation for 1st Seminar Read the readings listed above following the guidelines in the course handbook. These readings will help establish the issues related to global health that we will discuss in the three seminars and will get us thinking about what role we as engineers may play in improving global health. Be prepared to discuss some of the following issues: What nations are in the developing world and what health crises do they face? What priorities have been identified to improve global health? Do you agree with the experts assessments? Brainstorm ways in which engineers can improve healthcare. Can all of your ideas be applied to improve healthcare in the developing world? Why or why not? C-2

Preparation for 2nd Seminar Be prepared to discuss some of the following issues: Do you agree with the Top Ten and Grand Challenges lists? What role(s) can engineers play in achieving these goals? Are the suggested goals reasonable? Can technology accelerate development? What are the practical technological barriers to implementing new healthcare technologies in developing countries? In what ways can healthcare technologies be abused and what can be done to prevent abuse? Preparation for 3rd Seminar Be prepared to discuss some of the following issues: What are the social, cultural, economic, intellectual property, and political barriers to implementation of new technologies to improve global health? Are these barriers more, equally, or less important than the technological barriers? To what extent is it the responsibility of engineers to understand and resolve the nontechnical factors that impact technology implementation? Should engineering students receive formal training in these issues? Can technology really improve global health? Oral presentations Each student is required to do a 3 to 5 minute oral presentation as part of this seminar series. A topic sign-up sheet will be provided in the first session. Presentations will take place at the end of the 2nd seminar and at the end of the 3rd seminar session.

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Appendix D Seminar Topics from Past Years

The following are seminar topics from previous years. Note that there is no problem with two or more seminars having the same topic since each student attends only one seminar. Advising Government Environmental Policy Agricultural Engineering Air Quality and Human Health Air Rail Link from Toronto-Lester B. Pearson International Airport to Toronto Union Station Automated Electrical Meter Reading Barriers to Green Building in Ontario Biofuels: To Burn or Not to Burn Building Green: is LEED the Answer? Canada's Role in Space Exploration Corporate Social Responsibility: The Case of EnCana Corporation Designing Tomorrows Homes Today Do no harm: Case studies in adverse events in the modern hospital Dynamics of the Telecom Industry Electrical Supply for Ontario Electricity Demand and Ontario's Solutions Energy and Climate Change Engineering Global Health: Should we & how? Engineering in the Clean Room Engineering in the Nano Scale Engineering Social Responsibility: Revitalization of Regent Park Engineering the World in an Era of Climate Change Engineers in Health Care Engineer's Role in Health Care Enhanced Performance: The Promise of Technology Equiveillance: Should surveillance be balanced with sousveillance Ethics and engineering: Managing Ethical Dilemmas in Health Care Engineering Ethics of Engineering Design Evolving Role of Engineers in Finance E-waste: Causes, Issues and Solutions Exotic Mortgages and the U.S. Housing Market Financial engineering Forensic Engineering and Failure Analysis Fuel Cells D-1 Future of Manufacturing in Canada Gardiner Expressway: Disaster or Work of Genius? Grading Transportation in Toronto Impact of Internet Search Engines Integrated Ocean Management Is the Canadian Healthcare System Sustainable? Managing Torontos Municipal Solid Waste Mobile Technologies in Emerging Markets Morphine Pain Pump Nanoscience and Nanotechnologies: the good, the bad and the ugly New Orleans the Case to Rebuild or Relocate Nuclear Power One Laptop Per Child Program Outsourcing and Offshoring: What does this mean for you as an engineer? Path to a Sustainable Energy Future for Ontario Privacy in the Information Age Promiscuity of Science: Grasping at Genes Provision of Safe and Plentiful Drinking Water Renewable Energy with focus on Anaerobic Digestion, Wind, Solar and Earth Energy Systems Renewable Energy: Options and Benefits Responding to Climate Change Security or Privacy: The Balance of Technology Societal and Engineering Issues Related to Industrial Farming of Animals Solar - A Viable Energy Source for Ontario Space Exploration: Man vs Machine Stem Cells: Miracles or Monsters Sustainable Energy Development Technology: Necessary but not Sufficient Telematics - A Location Tracking Technology Toronto SARS experience Web 2.0 Welcoming Diversity Through Inclusive Innovation When Engineers and the World Collide