Abstract:
Problem-based learning identifies problems in ways that are conducive to student
learning and emphasizes problem-solving, critical thinking and collaborative skills.
These three aspects are core to disassembly–assembly techniques used in higher
education where students are required to engage with visual, auditory and kinesthetic
learning within a laboratory environment. The purpose of this article is to describe a
disassembly–assembly technique used in a compulsory engineering module and identify
how many African engineering students can successfully create a problem (disassemble
a two-stroke motor) and then correctly solve the problem (assemble the two-stroke
motor back to a working condition). A longitudinal study involving quantitative data is
used with descriptive statistics. Results indicate, that on average, 85.5% of African
engineering students can successfully engage with the disassembly–assembly technique.
A possible recommendation is to encourage more academics to make use of the
disassembly-assembly technique with regard to engineering systems, equipment
or machinery.
