scholarly journals Lessons Learned: Integrating Active Learning into Undergraduate Engineering Courses

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Bonner ◽  
Vittorio Marone ◽  
Timothy Yuen ◽  
Robin Nelson ◽  
JoAnn Browning
Keyword(s):  
Active Learning ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Undergraduate Engineering

scholarly journals Towards Scalable and Sustainable Active Learning in a Large Engineering Department

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jen Rathlin ◽  
Eugene Li ◽  
Andrew Trivett
Keyword(s):  
Active Learning ◽  
Student Experience ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Engineering Programs ◽  
Undergraduate Engineering ◽  
Hands On ◽  
Engineering Department ◽  
Formative Experiences ◽  
The University

Abstract – Students entering undergraduate engineering programs lack the formative experiences of their precursors and are demanding more hands-on, practical, and engaging experiences as part of their education[1].  Starting in 2013, the University of Waterloo engaged in a pilot project to address these needs and to improve the student experience. This paper will discuss the challenges encountered in the establishment of the MME Clinic initiative, the implementation methods used to address these challenges, and lessons learned through the first four years of this project.  

Wikipedia as a Tool for Active Learning. Experience Gained within the Framework of the Wikifabricación Project

2013 ◽  
Vol 759 ◽  
pp. 73-82
Author(s):  
J.V. Abellán-Nebot ◽  
G.M. Bruscas ◽  
J. Serrano ◽  
F. Romero
Keyword(s):  
Active Learning ◽  
Technical Writing ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Educational Innovation ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Learning Approach ◽  
Undergraduate Engineering ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
Innovation Project ◽  
Second Year

Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, is one of the most visited websites on the Internet and it is a tool which students often use in their assignments, although they do not usually understand the basics underlying it. To overcome this limitation and promote the active learning approach in our courses, last year an educational innovation project was carried out that was aimed mainly at improving students skills in technical writing as well as their ability to review the technical contents of the Wikipedias. Additionally, it sought to explore new opportunities that these tools can offer both teachers and students. This paper describes the experiment carried out in a second-year undergraduate engineering course, the results of which show that introducing activities such as edition and revision within Wikipedia is an interesting way to enhance transversal competencies as well as others related to the main contents of the course.

Discovering Ways That Don’t Work on the Road to Success

2013 ◽  
pp. 94-113
Author(s):  
Tawnya Means ◽  
Eric Olson ◽  
Joey Spooner
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Active Learning ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Management Process ◽  
The Road ◽  
Management Techniques ◽  
On The Road ◽  
Studio Classroom ◽  
Complex Project ◽  
Edison Project

Educational technology projects undertaken by higher education institutions range in complexity, scope, and impact. The Edison project created a sophisticated studio classroom that supports active learning teaching methods for both local and distant students. The team undertaking this complex project was composed of information technology and instructional design professionals with no real background in formal project management techniques. The team soon discovered that intuition and organic processes for implementing a complex project with increasing scope resulted in risks and challenges that threatened the success and potential impact of the project. The project team learned valuable lessons about the need for a systematic project management process. This case shares the project details, major accomplishments, and lessons learned by the team through the Active Learning Studio classroom (Edison) project.

Moving In-Frame

2022 ◽  
pp. 217-234
Author(s):  
Andi Johnson ◽  
Richard Lessey ◽  
Rebeca Ramos O'Reilly ◽  
Jessica Shi
Keyword(s):  
Active Learning ◽  
Reflective Practice ◽  
Subject Area ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
The Other ◽  
Learning Engagement ◽  
Digital Education ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Further Development

The researchers explored the dual experience of individuals who are both taking dance and movement classes digitally at the same time as they are also teaching dance and movement classes digitally. By focusing on this duality through a series of interviews with practitioners, the researchers explore how the learner/educators do or do not adapt one set of skills into the other area of work and the lessons learned from this reflective practice. The results are analyzed and broken down into five sections: glitches of the practice, reflective practice, active learning, engagement, and reframing communication. Through further analysis, the researchers explore possibilities for shifting the mindset around digital education methods. The researchers then offer suggestions for further development in the field and where further research can expand on the subject area.

scholarly journals Rethinking the Classroom

2018 ◽  
Vol 140 (03) ◽  
pp. 42-45
Author(s):  
John Kosowatz
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Active Learning ◽  
Technical Skills ◽  
Assistant Professor ◽  
Engineering Programs ◽  
Undergraduate Engineering ◽  
Entrepreneurial Skills ◽  
Technical Students ◽  
Innovative Solutions ◽  
Critical Components

This article discusses that to better engage students, professors are integrating active learning methods into their biomedical classes. The goal is for students to develop entrepreneurial skills to aid students in thinking outside the box, using their developing technical skills to develop innovative solutions. Engineering programs are bringing the entrepreneurial mindset to younger students, often based on the definition used by the Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network. Sponsored by the Kern Family Foundation, KEEN is a collaboration of 31 U.S. universities with the goal of supporting entrepreneurial skills in undergraduate engineering and technical students. KEEN says the entrepreneurial mindset has three critical components: curiosity, connections, and creating value. At Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York, mechanical engineering assistant professor Laurel Kuxhaus is working with a KEEN grant to integrate active learning into sophomore-level studies.

scholarly journals No strings attached? Challenges and successes in creating a flexible, wire-free active learning classroom

2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 211-224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gillian (Jill) D. Ellern ◽  
Heidi E. Buchanan
Keyword(s):  
Active Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Learning Space ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Electronic Classroom ◽  
Technical Details ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This paper serves as a case study, detailing an academic library’s three-year process of redesigning, implementing, and using a library electronic classroom. The purpose of this paper is to share the challenges and successes of a library’s attempt to create a high-tech space that both accommodates active learning and is entirely flexible and free of wires. The paper provides technical details for implementing features such as wireless screen sharing and offers practical advice for librarians who are creating new teaching and learning spaces at their institutions. Design/methodology/approach This is a descriptive case study, which details the lessons learned in implementing an active learning space that incorporates technology such as wireless display to multiple screens. Findings There are still major challenges in having a truly wire-free classroom including authentication policies, wireless display technology, instructor’s station mobility, and student laptop control. Successes include flexible furniture, battery-power management solutions, and using multiple wireless devices in a single room. Practical implications Practical implications of this paper include recommendations for planning this type of upgrade in a library electronic classroom. Originality/value The unique feature of this case was the effort to combine the mobile features of a flexible learning space with some of the robust technology of a hardwired active learning classroom. This paper features technical details beyond what can be found in the library literature. For example, very little has been written about the issues involved in wirelessly displaying a computer screen to multiple devices in a classroom.

scholarly journals What Type of Debrief is Best for Learning during Think-Pair-Shares?

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-60
Author(s):  
Chad Hershock ◽  
Martin Barrett ◽  
Michael McCarthy ◽  
Michael Melville ◽  
Joe Mertz
Keyword(s):  
Active Learning ◽  
Computer Science ◽  
Student Outcomes ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Exam Performance ◽  
Multiple Choice Questions ◽  
Large Lecture ◽  
Traditional Lectures ◽  
Answer Choice

Copious research demonstrates the benefits of adding active learning to traditional lectures to enhance learning and reduce failure/withdrawal rates. However, many questions remain about how best to implement active learning to maximize student outcomes. This paper investigates several “second generation” questions regarding infusing active learning, via Think-Pair-Share (TPS), into a large lecture course in Computer Science. During the “Share” phase of TPS, what is the best way to debrief the associated course concepts with the entire class? Specifically, does student learning differ when instructors debrief the rationale for every answer choice (full debrief) versus only the correct answer (partial debrief)? And does the added value for student outcomes vary between tasks requiring recall versus deeper comprehension and/or application of concepts? Regardless of discipline, these questions are relevant to instructors implementing TPS with multiple-choice questions, especially in large lectures. Similar to prior research, when lectures included TPS, students performed significantly better (~13%) on corresponding exam items. However, students’ exam performance depended on both the type of debrief and exam questions. Students performed significantly better (~5%) in the full debrief condition than the partial debrief condition. Additionally, benefits of the full debrief condition were significantly stronger (~5%) for exam questions requiring deeper comprehension and/or application of underlying Computer Science processes, compared to simple recall. We discuss these results and lessons learned, providing recommendations for how best to implement TPS in large lecture courses in STEM and other disciplines.

Conclusion

2019 ◽  
pp. 241-252
Author(s):  
Siyka Kovacheva ◽  
Xavier Rambla ◽  
Marcelo Parreira do Amaral
Keyword(s):  
Political Economy ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Active Learning ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Lifelong Learning ◽  
Complexity Reduction ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Theoretical Perspectives ◽  
Cultural Political Economy ◽  
Learning Policies

The chapter takes stock of the insights produced in the different chapters of this collection and draws conclusions based on three theoretical perspectives that guided our analysis. Each of them highlights a few important points that are helpful to make sense of the evidence posited by the thematic chapters. Cultural Political Economy provides crucial insights on the intimate connections between complexity reduction and the institutional normalisation of life courses. Life Course Research sheds light on the equally relevant connections between young adults’ biographies and active learning. Finally, Governance theories account for the regional dimension of lifelong learning policies. Some lessons learned are discussed and a plea to listen to the voices of young adults is made.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document