Month / June 2023

by shannonchance

The International Handbook of Engineering Education Research (IHEER)

The brand new International Handbook of Engineering Education Research (IHEER) that I’ve been working on for the past two years has been published through the leadership of Dr. Aditya Jhordi. It has contributions from a hundred scholars from around the globe and is available digitally Open Access and entirely free of charge. (Here’s the URL if you need it: https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/oa-edit/10.4324/9781003287483/international-handbook-engineering-education-research-aditya-johri.)

If you are attending ASEE conference in 2023, you can attend this session of the Educational Research and Methods Division (ERM), where I’ll be a panelist alongside Aditya:

M314C·Introducing the International Handbook of Engineering Education Research (IHEER) and Discussing the Future of EER

Mon. June 26, 2023, 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM (Room 308, Baltimore Convention Center)

I served as an Associate Editor for the handbook and co-authored the chapter on “Informal Learning as Opportunity for Competency Development and Broadened Engagement in Engineering”. The chapter authors, Madeline Polmear, Shannon Chance, Roger G. Hadgraft, and Corrinne Shaw made a great team. It was a pleasure writing this chapter and my first time writing with any of the three. Won’t be my last!

(You can download our chapter here, at https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/oa-edit/10.4324/9781003287483-18/informal-learning-opportunity-competency-development-broadened-engagement-engineering-madeline-polmear-shannon-chance-roger-hadgraft-corrinne-shaw.)

Whether you’re new to engineering education research or a seasoned expert, you’ll find plenty to love about this new resource.

by shannonchance

BIM publication

I haven’t been blogging much these days, as I’m so embroiled in research publication activities (mostly in the roles of editor and peer reviewer) that I rarely spend time at the computer for recreational activities like blogging. That said, I feel compelled to report how rewarding it has been to work with the Bachelor’s level Building Construction Modeellign/Digital Construction students at TU Dublin. I coordinate the BSc (honors level) degree program, lead its Research Methods and Work Based Learning modules, and support its Dissertation module.

One of our recent students, Anne Grego, has presented her bachelor’s level work at two conferences. The one presented last month at the EU BIM conference has been published. You can download the paper, “USING BIM TO INCREASE THE EFFICIENCY OF ENERGY-DRIVEN RETROFITTING PROJECTS” by Anne Grego, Shannon Chance and Barry McAuley from https://arrow.tudublin.ie/surconcon/2/

If you want to review the overall proceedings of the conference, visit https://riunet.upv.es/handle/10251/193981. Our paper starts on p. 142.

Hats off to Anne for these stellar achievements!

by shannonchance

Cycling to Bluegrass in Westport along Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way

Aongus and I enjoyed an amazingly warm and sunny Bank Holiday weekend, the start of June. We travelled by car with bikes on a rack, cycled parts of the Greenway along the Wild Atlantic Way, and enjoyed beaches and restaurants along the way.

We also found posters for the following weekend’s Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival, so we booked train tickets and accommodation and headed back out West just four days after motoring home.

And boy, did we enjoy the music festival! We felt part of this small group of folks—a hundred or so musicians and enthusiasts, for the past three days.

The folk and bluegrass tunes from Appalachia sang to my heart and had me longing for days of old, attending Statler Brothers concerts in the park every Fourth of July.

During the country sets this weekend, I relived Saturday nights, sprawled across my grandparents’ den, watching Hee Haw with all its slapstick humor, surrounded by a happy extended family.

This morning’s gospel set, presented aside prayers at Westport’s magestic Anglican (Church of Ireland) church was a highlight. It was standing room only and people also flowed out past the doors. Aongus and I had arrived mare than an hour early, thankfully. So, we enjoyed second-row seats to hear the Kody Norris Show quartet for the second time. They also played at last night’s show, and boy, are they a hit!

I also loved the Derryberries, from Tennessee, Bill and the Bells, Melody Walker & Jacob Groopman, Lunch Special, and Tim Rodger’s gig, among others.

We sat very front at the main stage Friday night, and very back there on Saturday. Westport’s Town Hall Theater has fabulous acoustics and great sight lines throughout.

This intimate three-day music festival is organized by a gent with an amazing Mayo accent, named Uri, who moved to Ireland 19 years ago, I’m told, from Israel. He is clearly now a cornerstone of the community, bringing this annual event to Westport since 2007.

Aongus and I loved both weekends—cycling along the seaside and swaying with the tunes. We’ve already booked to come back again next year. We think Westport is the prettiest town in Ireland and the hospitality can’t be beat. My favorite publican, Tom Mulligan says it’s Ireland’s only panned town. I think Derry, up in Northern Ireland (UK), is another in this island.

All in all, being surrounds by folks with such a passion for music is a treat. And Westport is a gem in Ireland’s green, green crown.