Pedagogy 2025
Abstract
In early-stage engineering design, extracting meaningful user requirements from a client brief remains one of the most cognitively demanding and educationally under-supported tasks. This paper presents a hybrid pedagogical approach that integrates human-centred heuristic practice with generative AI to scaffold the transition from contextual understanding to functional requirement formulation. At the core of this approach is MASH (Movement, AI, Student, Hearing): a design tool that supports students in drawing out user requirements through structured peer interaction, rotation, and reflection. Beginning with human-led interpretation of a client brief either via recorded interviews or written documentation students engage in movement-based group activity to share insights and clarify ambiguities. Only after this collaborative requirement-building phase is AI introduced to support structured expansion, using an Alphabet Tool to generate a functionally broad design vocabulary. This study reports on a cohort of 32 undergraduate engineers, combining reflection surveys (n = 18) with thematic and statistical analysis. Results show that MASH facilitated engagement, peer-to-peer learning, and contextual sensitivity, while AI tools were valued for their speed and linguistic framing. However, concerns about trust, ethics, and overreliance emerged, especially when AI was used prematurely. The paper concludes by proposing a sequencing model context first, AI second to responsibly embed digital tools into human-centred design education.
Dr Graham Sparey-Taylor, Associate Professor at NMITE with a professional background as a toolmaker, electro-mechanical engineer, and researcher in ultrasonic micro/nano systems. He teaches across control, electronics, mechanics, and applied computing, and has pioneered the use of the Raspberry Pi/Python ecosystem across NMITE’s curriculum. His work integrates industrial practice with pedagogy, linking projects such as UAV design and solar vehicle systems to student learning. He is currently embedding AI into delivery and assessment to enhance inclusivity, feedback, and project-based learning
Dr Patricia Xavier is an Associate Professor in Engineering Education at NMITE, specialising in innovative pedagogy and curriculum reform. Her work centres on relationship-rich, project-based learning, inclusive design, and neurodiverse student support, with a strong belief in engineering as a socially embedded practice. She has led transformative initiatives improving student engagement, belonging, and NSS outcomes, drawing on frameworks such as relationship-rich education, validation and belonging theories, and socially responsible engineering ethics. Patricia is passionate about building teaching cultures that are collaborative, reflective, and courageous, helping both staff and students flourish within a rapidly changing higher education landscape.
3:30 pm - 5:00 pm
Wednesday 19th November, 2025