2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Board 112: Creating an Institutional Culture of Empowering Faculty for Student-centered Learning through a Pilot Program

Presented at Faculty Development Division (FDD) Poster Session

Student-centered learning is fundamental and critical in instructional design and knowledge dissemination. This requires extensive care and thoughtfulness in designing and delivering any course content. Many universities support centralized centers for faculty development and providing innovative teaching strategies. However, such centers often do not provide customized engineering, engineering technology, and computer science programs.

Simultaneously, faculty members are under extensive pressure to increase their research productivity, mentor more students, and constantly innovate in the classroom to support student learning. This requires the creation of a culture where instructional design and pedagogy efforts are encouraged, supported, and rewarded.

Addressing this situation, the College of Engineering at a mid-tier technological university has conducted a one-year pilot program to empower faculty members to innovate inside and outside the classroom for improved student-centered learning. This paper presents a detailed rationale, faculty survey results, workshops offered, support programs, preliminary results, and lessons learned.

Authors

Dr. Sally J. Pardue http://orcid.org/https://0000-0003-3348-1982 Tennessee Technological University [biography]

Sally Pardue, Ph.D., is an associate professor of mechanical engineering at Tennessee Tech University, and former director (2009 - 2018) of the Oakley Center for Excellence in the Teaching of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.
Dr. Kumar Yelamarthi http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0072-3909 Tennessee Technological University [biography]

Kumar Yelamarthi received his Ph.D. and M.S degree from Wright State University in 2008 and 2004, and B.E. from University of Madras, India in 2000. He is currently the Associate Dean and Professor in the College of Engineering at Tennessee Tech University. In the past, he served as the Director for School of Engineering and Technology, and Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering and at Central Michigan University (CMU). He served as the chair for Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering programs, and Assistant to the Dean of College of Science and Engineering at CMU. His research interest is in the areas of Internet of Things, wireless sensor networks, edge computing, embedded systems, and engineering education. He has published over 160 articles and delivered over 100 talks in these areas. He has successfully raised several externally funded grants of over $1.5 Million from organizations such as NSF, NASA, and the industry.

Throughout his career, Yelamarthi has launched multiple engineering programs, including undergraduate programs and 2+2 programs with international universities, as well as CMU’s graduate program in engineering. He has served as a chair, technical program committee chair, treasurer for several international conferences, and as a reviewer and panelist for numerous externally funded proposals. He served as editor for journal special issues, currently serves as the topic editor for Sensors, on the editorial board for Internet of Things journal, and International Journal of Forensic Software Engineering,. He has served as the Chair of IEEE Northeast Michigan Section, and vice-chair for ASEE North Central Section.

He is a senior member of IEEE, founding advisor for the IEEE Student Chapter at CMU, an elected member of Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society, Omicron Delta Kappa national leadership honor society, and a senior member of IETI.
Mrs. Taylor Chesson Tennessee Technological University [biography]

Taylor Chesson is an Online Instructional Design Specialist in the Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning at Tennessee Technological University. She enjoys working alongside instructors to combine traditional teaching methods with best pedagogical practices and emerging technologies. Prior to her role at Tennessee Tech, she worked as a Library Media Specialist.
Dr. Lenly J. Weathers Tennessee Technological University
Dr. J.W. Bruce Tennessee Technological University [biography]

J.W. Bruce is an Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering at Tennessee Technological University
Dr. Joseph C. Slater P.E. http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1923-9279 Tennessee Technological University

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