Faculty Report 2013/2014
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FACULTY REPORT 2013/2014 FACULTY OF ENGINEERING 02 FACULTY OF FOOD & AGRICULTURE 16 FACULTY OF HUMANITIES & EDUCATION 26 FACULTY OF LAW 44 FACULTY OF MEDICAL SCIENCES 50 FACULTY OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 62 FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES 78 CENTRES & INSTITUTES 90 PUBLICATIONS AND CONFERENCES 134 1 Faculty of Engineering Professor Brian Copeland Dean, Faculty of Engineering Executive Summary For the period 2013-2014, the Faculty of Engineering continued its major activities in areas such as Curriculum and Pedagogical Reform (CPR) at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, Research and Innovation, and providing Support Systems (Administrative and Infrastructure) in keeping with the 2012-2017 Strategic Plan. FACULTY OF ENGINEERING TEACHING & LEARNING Accreditation Status New GPA During the year under review, the BSc Petroleum The year under review was almost completely Geoscience and MSc Petroleum Engineering dedicated to planning for the transition to a new GPA programmes were accredited by the Energy Institute, system scheduled for implementation in September UK. In addition, the relatively new Engineering Asset 2014. The Faculty adopted an approach where the new Management programme was accredited for the GPA system was applied to new students (enrolled period 2008 to 2015, thus maintaining alignment September 2014) only. Continuing students remain with other iMechE accredited programmes in the under the GPA system they encountered at first Department. registration. The Faculty plans to implement the new GPA scheme on a phased basis over the next academic The accreditation status of all BSc programmes and year so that by 2016–2017, all students will be under the those MSc programmes for which accreditation was new scheme. Presently, new students will have a 50% sought is as follows: Pass threshold, while continuing students, even those doing Level 1 courses, will have a 40% Pass threshold Chemical Engineering to meet the requirements of both systems. Third • BSc Chemical & Process Engineering: iChemE Class honours degrees will no longer be offered to (2011-2015), CACET (2012-2016) graduates under the new GPA system and the Faculty • BSc Petroleum Geoscience: The Geological will maintain its weighted average GPA calculation Society (2010-2016), The Energy Institute (2014- as before, despite a proposal to have all course levels 2018) equally weighted. • MSc Chemical and Process Engineering: IChemE (2010-2015), CACET (2012-2016) More Emphasis on Learning Outcomes • MSc Petroleum Engineering: IOM3 (2010-2014), The The Faculty proactively engaged in a series of Energy Institute, UK (2014-2018), iChemE (2011- CETL workshops for more than two years in order 2013) to develop a teaching culture based on a learning outcome pedagogy. Indeed, the CETL workshops de- Civil & Environmental Engineering emphasised passing threshold levels all together and • BSc Civil Engineering: JBM (2009-2012), CACET concentrated on designing and assessing courses (2012-2016) based on learning outcomes and well-designed • BSc Civil with Environmental Engineering: JBM grading rubrics. It must be noted that this transition to (2009-2012), CACET (2012-2016) learning outcome pedagogy has been at the core of • MSc Civil Engineering: JBM (2009-2012), CACET the Faculty’s strategic objectives. (2012-2016) • MSc Civil with Environmental Engineering: JBM Developing Four-year Programmes (2009-2012), CACET (2012-2016) Much of the Faculty’s plans for curriculum development • MSc Construction Management: JBM (2009-2012), were reprioritised so that staff could treat with the new CACET (2012-2016) GPA arrangements. As such, no progress was made towards the Industry Internship Programme proposed Electrical & Computer Engineering by the Department of Mechanical & Manufacturing • BSc Electrical & Computer Engineering: IET (2014) Engineering. The Department was however, the only one to make progress with plans for a four- year programme. As such, once the Department of Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering has made its submission, this would then be used as a template across the Faculty. 4 FACULTY REPORT 2013/2014 Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering The School occupied the vacated buildings of the • BSc Industrial Engineering: IMechE (2015), CACET Department of Basic Medical Sciences and renovation (2012-2016) activities started in summer 2013 to accommodate • BSc Mechanical Engineering: IMechE (2015), engineering laboratories, lecture rooms, student CACET (2012-2016) project rooms and offices. • BSc Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Biosystems: IMechE (2015), CACET (2012-2016) Student enrolment continues to increase in spite of the • MSc Engineering Asset Management: IMechE challenges of financing the US$10,000 tuition fee that (2015) commenced in academic year 2013-2014. Overall, out of • MSc Engineering Management: IMechE (2015), 442 applicants, 68 were offered spaces while 42 actually CACET (2012-2016) registered. The MSE has implemented a tracking • MSc Production Engineering & Management: mechanism for all its graduates. The information IMechE (2015), CACET (2012-2016) collected and stored will be required for accreditation • MSc Production Management: IMechE (2015), purposes. More than 70% of the engineering graduates CACET (2012-2016) of 2014 are already employed. Geomatics Engineering & Land Management Five new academic staff, including a visiting professor, • BSc Geomatics: CICES (2017) were recruited to commence teaching and research in academic year 2014-2015. Engineering Institute The Engineering Institute continued to offer RESEARCH AND INNOVATION continuing professional development courses and the During the year under review, efforts were made by Dr. summer programme for trailing students. Meanwhile, Graham King to further consolidate the Mechanical & Departments continued to increase their use of the Manufacturing Enterprise Research Centre (MMERC) student support allocation. through meetings with the Energy Chamber. Mona School of Engineering Led by Electrical & Computer Engineering Technician, The affiliated Mona School of Engineering in Jamaica Mr. Jeevan Persad, The Engineering Institute was formalised and began offering a BSc in Civil administered two projects of the Government of Engineering as of September 2013 with the assistance Trinidad and Tobago’s Idea2Innovation initiative. of a local firm, JenTech Consultants. The School now offers a total of three programmes, the other two The Faculty celebrated its first Student Research being Computer Systems Engineering and Electronics Opportunities Programme (SROP) with a closing Engineering. ceremony on August 25, 2014. The SROP programme was the brainchild of Dr. April Bryan and championed The MSE is self-financing with a Director, Dr. Paul Aiken, by Ms. Juliet Romeo. Its objective is to recognise all and full time and part time teaching staff, administrative, research activities conducted in the Student Summer technical and other support staff. The MSE is strongly Internship Programme (SSIP). The SROP is a tremendous involved in academic and commercial activities. A full opportunity to nurture the creative and entrepreneurial business entity to manage the commercial activities spirit of students and staff, even as it attempts to derive has been approved with expected start date of benefits from work that otherwise would have been October 1, 2014. discarded (as has been the case with countless projects executed in the past). On display were some 24 posters highlighting the research work conducted by student summer interns. Each student was given a token and a memorabilia booklet that summarised all submissions. 5 FACULTY OF ENGINEERING SUppoRT SYSTEms ENROLMENT Assessment & Promotions For the academic year 2013-2014, the undergraduate The Faculty applied its new assessment and promotions intake for all programmes in the Faculty was 411 procedures to staff who came up for review during the students - a 9% decrease from the 453 students who year 2013-2014. There was general support for the new enrolled in the previous year. Enrolment for each procedures. One key criticism was that the threshold department was as follows: Chemical Engineering (69), established for the R&D scores at the professorial level Civil and Environmental Engineering (82), Electrical and should be increased. Computer Engineering (81), Geomatics Engineering & Land Management (50), and Mechanical and Technology Support Unit Manufacturing Engineering (129). The Classroom Technology Support Unit was merged with the Systems Laboratory to form a new unit The Faculty attracted 199 new students into its taught called the Technology Support Unit. This move was Postgraduate Diploma/Masters programmes, a 32% made in an effort to consolidate staff responsible for decrease from the previous academic year, which had technology support. The unit continued to rationalise an enrolment of 292. its installed base of projectors and rolled out plans to install document cameras in classrooms. Management New postgraduate enrolments in MPhil and PhD of the infrastructure has been challenging, particularly programmes of the Faculty increased slightly to 22 in regard to security and vandalism. students in 2013-2014 from 20 students in 2012-2013. Research student enrolment is expected to remain Maintenance static given the very good employment opportunities During the review period, the Faculty faced increasing for lower level degree graduates in Trinidad and maintenance challenges, particularly with regard Tobago and the region for Engineers, Surveyors