Project teacher: a unique interaction between teachers and students

With the end of the academic year in sight, students and project teachers are preparing for the presentations of the final projects. This year, the design competition for the Mechanical Engineering bachelor's degree program will take place on 12 June.

The first year of the Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering includes three design subjects in which the students work independently. Almost 800 students need parts, tools and guidance. Project teachers are indispensable in this regard. They help the students to put their own ideas into practice. In doing so, they regularly have to draw on all the knowledge they have acquired from their education, experience and each other in the team. Werner van de Sande, Gabri Keijts and Gillian Saunders share their experiences as project teachers.

Student development

Gillian Saunders studied Aerospace Engineering. She has always been a lecturer, with a brief foray into the business world. In recent years, she has been a lecturer in Cognitive Robotics. She sees many advantages of education with project teachers: 'You can see the difference. Students who have already experienced project-based learning can work in a much more structured way. They’re more independent and more likely to talk to each other about everyone's responsibilities, because ultimately the assignment has to be done. It’s an important part of the process of growing up. Working in groups also helps the students to feel at home. You can actually see them settle in. Students discover what they are good at: Computer Aided Design (CAD), arranging or modelling, for example.

[Translate to English:] Picture of Gillian Saunders, teacher at Mechanical Engineering

You don’t just teach students why something works in a certain way, but you teach them to think more and more like an engineer.
Gillian Saunders

‘You don’t just teach students why something works in a certain way, but you teach them to think more and more like an engineer. Think about the design conditions, how do I approach the subject (structurally). In the meantime, they build their self-confidence, because they actually create things themselves during the assignments. And in this respect, the role of the project teacher, where you are really close, interact a lot and are approachable, is very important.’

Shared drive for education

Gabri Keijts is the owner of Keijts Technics, a company specialising in the design and manufacture of special test setups and devices. Since the beginning of this academic year, he has been devoting eight hours a week to his work as a project teacher. Gabri: 'I saw a vacancy on the TU Delft website and thought, that’s a really nice job. I’ve always liked to see and encourage the development of young colleagues, which is why this appealed to me. In addition, my heart beats faster when I get people involved in technical solutions. Not that I know everything yet, but I learn something new every time.

[Translate to English:] Picture of Gabri Keijts, teacher at Mechanical Engineering

You provide feedback and guide them on how to improve things and make them more beautiful. Teaching, I didn't realise it could be so much fun!
Gabri Keijts

Het werk geeft veel voldoening. Het is verbazingwekkend wat voor leercurve deze jonge mensen hebben. Ik had laatst een groepje met studenten die nog nooit een kogellager van dichtbij hadden gezien. Vervolgens draaien ze twee mooie passingen en die gaan er strak in, het paste gewoon! Soms heb je er een groepje bij waarvan je ziet dat het minder goed gaat. Daar heb je dan een coachgesprek mee. Techneuten onderling maken bijna nooit ruzie. Maar soms moeten ze nog leren hoe het werkt in een groepsverband. En dan is het fijn dat je als projectdocent naast de studenten staat, je maakt echt contact met ze. Je geeft feedback en wijst de weg naar hoe het beter kan, hoe het mooier kan. Onderwijs geven, ik wist niet dat het zo leuk was!’

Eclectic mix of teaching

The nice thing about working as a project teacher is that each one focuses on something different.
Werner van de Sande

[Translate to English:] Picture of Werner van de Sande, teacher at Mechanical Engineering

Werner van de Sande is a lecturer at the Precision & Microsystems Engineering Department and supervises Master’s students. He’s also a project teacher in the Bachelor’s programme. Werner: 'The nice thing about working as a project teacher is that each one focuses on something different. For example, one person really focuses on construction. I have a Bachelor's degree in Industrial Design and a PhD. For me, the design process has to be right. The students have three projects in the first year and a different project teacher each time. This ensures that students come into extensive contact with different aspects of designing. This makes for an eclectic mix.'

Project teachers are used for the first-year design projects of the Mechanical Engineering Bachelor's degree. This way of teaching is the brainchild of Regine Vroom, lecturer at the Precision & Microsystems Engineering Department of the ME faculty.

There are three design projects in total. The first project starts relatively easily with restrictions on the materials to be used and the manufacturing methods. This year, for example, it was a marble track. The second project usually involves axles, wheels and a drive. It has often been a small car. The third is the design competition assignment, which changes every year and brings together knowledge from the previous year.

A project teacher supervises eight groups of five to seven students for half a day a week. This means 20-35 minutes of project table time per group, during which students can ask any questions they have encountered that week. Before the teachers start working with the students, there’s always a team meeting with the teachers, where a lot of valuable information is exchanged.

Contagious passion

The project teachers thrive on the students' enthusiasm. Gillian: 'It’s very fulfilling, students surprise you every time with a new idea. You never see the same outcome.'
Werner is now in his second year as a project teacher: 'I enjoy working as an engineering team with 800 first-year experts who have zero experience with technology. You stand in front of a whiteboard and run wild with ideas. Sometimes they even come up with a better idea. That's what you want, to get them enthusiastic. It’s also a way for me to learn something new every time, to refresh my knowledge.'

Golden ingredient of the project team

Werner: 'The meeting with all the project teachers is always great fun. We exchange all kinds of tips. From questions about gears and general student issues to dealing with people who are absent half the time. You learn from other teachers about feasibility and practical experiences from the business world. It’s valuable to have someone who looks at things differently.'
Gillian: 'As far as project education is concerned, I’m very proud of how our team manages this personal approach, with such a large number of students, where groups of six receive half an hour of individual attention. It requires a lot of planning, for the schedule, instrument making, who gets to produce and when. It stands or falls with the team. And the team is always there. If we’re missing tools, someone will jump in the car and drive to the hardware store. The team has a diverse background and that works really well. We’re like a close-knit family!'