NTU’s Engineering Computation course wins international recognition

NTU has won international acclaim for its innovative use of technology for high-quality course delivery. 

The Engineering Computation course was awarded the inaugural Global MOOC and Online Education Alliance Awards (GMAA).

The GMAA, launched by a group of leading universities and educational platforms, are presented to top courses in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) that leverage advance technology in their delivery. 

The Engineering Computation course, offered under NTU’s Renaissance Engineering Programme (REP), a flagship engineering programme that aims to nurture future leaders and entrepreneurs, was developed and taught by Professor Ong Yew Soon from the School of Computer Science and Engineering.

“Through the course, students learn to collaborate, take ownership of their work, and display collective responsibility. This ties in with how the university has been practising a knowledge-building pedagogy with its Renaissance Engineering Programme students over the past few years, educating the art of computational thinking, computational actions, and AI,” said Prof Ong who is also the President's Chair Professor in Computer Science.

Launched in 2019, the Engineering Computation course introduces students to the concepts of the computational thinking process, where they apply simple algorithms and develop system programs using the Python programming language. 

About 80 REP students take up the module each year and utilise “3D Maze”, a browser-based gamified maze design, creation, and problem-solving platform, as part of their coursework.

The validated pedagogy from the course is now deployed in one of the mandatory  core courses offered under NTU’s Interdisciplinary Collaborative Core (ICC) curriculum, benefitting more than 6,000 students.

The ICC curriculum, introduced in 2021, aims to nurture future-ready graduates with interdisciplinary skills as part of NTU2025, the University’s five-year strategic plan.

NTU is the only university in Singapore that is part of the Global MOOC and Online Education Alliance, which comprises 17 world-leading universities and three online education platforms from across 14 countries, six continents, and 10 languages.

Nominated courses of the GMAA were evaluated and scored based on four criteria: Inclusive and Equitable Education, Lifelong Learning and Development, Quality Teaching, and Learning and Technological or Digital Innovation. 

Other courses that won the award include those from University of Auckland, Peking University and St Petersburg University.