Author(s):
The overarching goal of this project is to significantly advance the uptake of effective instructional practices to promote students’ learning of disciplinary knowledge in the challenging middle and upper-level engineering classes. The work directly addresses the unresolved challenge in STEM education to get faculty to adopt teaching approaches that research has shown to be effective, but also challenges the assumption that effective teaching is of a generalized form. Consequently, our novel approach draws on a multi-pronged change strategy which involves scholarly reflection with a small team of exemplary faculty to document effective approaches within their specific disciplinary context, thereafter building a larger community of practice to solidify these understandings, and then culminating in the launch of the Virginia Tech’s Center for Teaching & Learning in Engineering which will facilitate broader impact both within and beyond the institution. Virginia Tech (VT) is an excellent location for this work because of the timing of this focused college strategy and because of its large-scale student cohorts with growing diversity. We seek to answer: 1) What student-centered teaching approaches are used by exemplary engineering faculty to promote knowledge building in their courses, and how do these relate to their beliefs on teaching? 2) How can a sustainable community of practice translate these practices broadly across entire departments for improved student learning?
