2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Based on fourteen years of work by an engineering teaching center, this evidence-based practice paper will present a framework for planning programing focused on engaging all our engineering faculty with their own next step towards teaching excellence.
At our R1 university, most engineering faculty are aware of the growing push towards more student-engaged teaching methods than pure lecturing. However, perceived barriers frequently limit actual personal change. We have developed a teaching pyramid that categorizes teaching levels of competence and expertise. Measuring resources and programming against this pyramid ensures our focus on actionable next steps across a wide range of faculty teaching performance.
The focus at each level is on the teaching, the course, and the students, not a judgement of the professor.
Weak teaching – the course is failing at very basic levels due to poor design or implementation. Intervention includes periodic observations leading to stepwise improvement by focusing on 2-3 specific points at a time. Course design planning and syllabus review precedes the next semester’s course.
Basic teaching – the course meets basic functioning with nothing terribly wrong, but nothing engages students either. Students learn to get by, but complain course is low value. Discussion with faculty focuses on identifying a higher level learning goal and specific approaches and steps towards it.
Solid teaching – the course works, but is static and boring, with the status quo accepted. Easily overlooked, these course and teachers need to be drawn into improvements. Tools include finding topics of interest to clusters of faculty, lowering barriers to trying something new, and identifying a simple change to addresses an issue in mid-semester feedback.
Engaged teaching – the course has student learning outcomes, some active learning, and the faculty enjoys teaching and is open to new ideas and approaches. Faculty time constraints limit major change. Progress comes from ease of accessing information through teaching tip emails and focused events, lowering barriers to making and sustaining changes, and support for considering implementation. willing to ask if something doesn’t work.
Inspired teaching – students look forward to class, learn well, and engage with class and content. Teaching is thoughtful, focused and interesting. Provide classrooms that support teaching methods, discussion for tweaks as needed, encourage sharing of ideas, exploration of ways to bring in new approaches and preserve the existing strength. Point to course redesign grants or departmental support to spread approaches to additional courses. Encourage to presentations at ASEE or topic meetings.
Inspiring teaching – these are the favorite teachers that inspire students to soar. Nominate for teaching awards, and provide consulting on implementation tweaks, support for teaching innovation proposals, course redesign grants and dissemination.
At each level it is important to recognize the strengths of what is being done and to lower barriers for faculty implementation of next steps toward research-based best practices.
This Traditional Lecture with Engagement Paper will share a framework for planning programming to meet faculty where they are and enable actionable next steps in moving towards teaching excellence.