2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

This NSF-funded project (Award No. DUE-2215989) aimed to advance understanding of how teaching-focused faculty in middle- and upper-level engineering courses design and implement interactive, student-centered instructional practices and how collaborative engagement fosters a sustainable community of teaching-focused educators. Research on pedagogical approaches in these advanced engineering courses remains limited, despite their importance in helping students master complex disciplinary knowledge and professional skills. The project was guided by these questions: What student-centered teaching practices are used by exemplary engineering faculty, how do these practices align with their instructional philosophies, and how can a community of practice promote the spread of these effective strategies across departments? Using a participatory action research (PAR) framework, the project engaged exemplary instructors, nominated by department heads as outstanding teachers through multiple phases of data collection, including the Postsecondary Instructional Practices Survey (PIPS), classroom observations, course consultations, interviews, focus groups, and two summer workshops. The poster will present key findings and visual summaries organized around five areas of evidence: (1) classroom observations, (2) faculty survey results, (3) summer workshop outcomes, (4) interview insights, and (5) focus group discussions.

Survey and observation data revealed that faculty frequently employed student-centered strategies such as guiding students through key concepts, connecting content to real-world applications, providing immediate feedback, and fostering peer and instructor interaction. Classroom observations confirmed structured and visually supported lessons enriched by innovative techniques such as debate-based learning, “quiet” problem-solving, intentional errors, and student-scheduled presentations. Course consultations led to targeted recommendations for enhancing engagement and curriculum alignment, including diversifying teaching strategies (e.g., scaffolded assignments, peer teaching, collaborative problem-solving), refining grading structures, simplifying course organization, incorporating industry perspectives, and aligning materials with ABET outcomes and Fink’s Taxonomy of Significant Learning.

Workshops, interviews, and focus groups provided further insight into faculty teaching philosophies and challenges. Participants described aligning their teaching with student maturity, readiness, and threshold concepts, while also embedding metacognitive supports to enhance learning ownership. Faculty identified common barriers such as student disengagement, post-pandemic readiness gaps, content overload, and institutional inertia but also shared adaptive responses, including low-stakes assessment strategies, scaling active learning, and using AI tools for feedback and engagement. A hallmark of the project was the emergence of a robust faculty learning community. Through workshops and consultations, participants reported validation of their practices, increased confidence to innovate, and meaningful exchanges about accessibility and technology integration. Faculty also noted identity shifts toward seeing themselves as facilitators and mentors rather than transmitters of knowledge. Sustained engagement was evident in participants’ interest in continuing peer discussions through a Teaching Excellence in Engineering Exchange (TEEE) series which included panel discussions and a research summit, departmental teaching initiatives, and workshops on teaching with AI.

This project deepened understanding of effective, evidence-based pedagogical practices in upper-level engineering contexts and demonstrated how collaborative faculty engagement can catalyze long-term cultural change in teaching and learning. Next steps include extending these approaches through cross-departmental workshops and community-of-practice initiatives aimed at promoting reflective, student-centered teaching across an R1 land-grant College of Engineering.