2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

This NSF project (DUE2215989) aimed to deepen our understanding of effective instructional practices in middle and upper-level engineering classes that enhance student learning. We explored how faculty members' philosophical beliefs are applied in practice within specific disciplinary contexts. Research on teaching methods in middle and upper-level engineering classes has been limited (Pendergast et al., 2020), despite these courses being recognized as particularly challenging and essential for students' mastery of specialized knowledge and skills in their chosen fields (McGough Spence et al., 2022). Our key research questions were what student-centered teaching methods are used by exemplary engineering faculty to promote knowledge building, and how do these align with their teaching beliefs, and how can a sustainable community of practice spread these methods across departments to improve student learning. We identified and successfully recruited a diverse set of participants who were recommended by their department heads as exemplary teachers. We employed a participatory action research (PAR) approach using the Postsecondary Instructional Practices Survey (PIPS), semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, course documents, course consultation, and focus groups across multiple phases. The survey and classroom observations revealed common effective strategies used by instructors, such as guiding students through key topics, connecting content to their lives and careers, providing immediate feedback, and encouraging peer interaction. Besides, instructors often structured classes with clear introductions, visual aids, and real-world examples. Unique practices observed included debates, involving students in decisions, relating content to other courses, “quiet” problem-solving, and making intentional mistakes as teaching tools. In the consultation projects, common recommendations for course improvements included further diversifying teaching strategies, revising assessments, refining syllabi, aligning course materials with accreditation standards, supporting team dynamics, and reducing plagiarism through a variety of evidence-based practices aimed at improving student engagement and learning outcomes. During the summer workshop, participants shared positive experiences from the course consultation projects and expressed interest in implementing several recommended improvements in their upcoming classes. Participants reported that the summer workshop provided a valuable opportunity to explore effective student engagement concepts and technologies, connect with like-minded educators, discover adaptable ideas for diverse teaching contexts, navigate the transition between small and large classes, and develop strategies for managing larger class sizes based on data-supported practices. In future work to extend the impact of this grant beyond the funded timeline, we plan to conduct a series of workshops to share exemplary teaching practices used by our participants across Virginia Tech’s College of engineering.

References:

Pendergast, D., Main, K., & Bahr, N. (2020). Teaching Middle Years: Rethinking curriculum, pedagogy and assessment. Routledge.

McGough Spence, C., Kirn, A., & Benson, L. (2022). Perceptions of future careers for middle year engineering students. Journal of Engineering Education, 111(3), 595–615. https://doi.org/10.1002/jee.20455