While some may think that entering student science competitions is all about the gold medals, the long-term nature of such projects is perfect fodder for learning meaningful skills.
Winning award is clearly a common goal of competition entry. However, effective management of student involvement in research project competitions should aim not only for success but also at ensuring a meaningful learning process for student researchers who dedicate considerable time to a project.
Dr Pai ZHENG, Assistant Professor of Department of Industrial Systems and Engineering at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) shares his experiences with THE Campus on generating lifetime learning for students from research competition.
Dr ZHENG said, “A supervisor’s role encompasses managing the project but also mentoring students in terms of academic, social and teamwork skills. It is important to inspire and guide students, particularly in times of uncertainty and difficulty, such as if and when significant changes need to be made.”
Dr ZHENG led a research team for the aforementioned successful research project “Mutual Cognitive Human-Robot Collaborative Manufacturing System” comprised undergraduate and postgraduate students. Dr Zheng is also the principal investigator of the Research Group of AI for Industrial Digital Servitisation at PolyU.
The team won a number of local and international Information and Communication Technology (ICT) awards for their work to improve collaboration between people and robots.
Dr ZHENG said, “It must be kept in mind that, as in any science and technology discovery, a research project is a long-term learning process in which ongoing motivation of interest and persistence is crucial for success.”
For more:
https://www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/how-supervisors-can-use-research-competitions-inspire-lifetime-learning
