scholarly journals INNOVATIVE TEACHING METHODS AND ENGINEERING EDUCATION RESEARCH

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela Van Barneveld ◽  
Johannes Strobel
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Education ◽  
Teaching Practices ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Early Years ◽  
System Level ◽  
Learning Approaches ◽  
Innovative Teaching ◽  
Undergraduate Engineering Education ◽  
Optimal Approach

Problem-based learning approaches have been deemed by research literature to be an optimal approach to develop engineering graduate competencies and attributes. While project-based capstone courses tend to be the norm, PBL has a lesser although highly recommended presence in the early years of an engineering program. With early year implementations of innovative pedagogies, engineering educators who persist in their PBL implementations encounter tensions at various levels and are required to devise strategies to manage the tensions.This qualitative study focused on the variation in engineering educators’ ways of experiencing tensions in PBL implementations, as well as how they managed the tensions (n=14). In the specific context of the first two years of undergraduate engineering education, the research questions were (1) based on their teaching practices, what are the predominant tensions encountered by engineering educators? (2) What are the qualitatively different ways in which engineering educators experience tensions with a PBL implementation in their teaching practices? (3) How do engineering educators manage these tensions?Results revealed tensions at both the classroom and system level. Examples of a classroom tension included the transitioning of students not only into engineering but also into PBL-oriented learning environments. System-level tensions included a misalignment in the perceived value assigned to teaching by the individual instructor and the organization.For engineering educators considering the implementation of PBL, this study offered not only insights into potential tensions, but also the management strategies used to mitigate the tension. Implications for administrators, faculty development specialists, and curriculum designers are also discussed.

scholarly journals Innovative pedagogies in engineering education – preliminary findings from the teaching practices of American and Canadian educators

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela Van Barneveld ◽  
Johannes Strobel
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Education ◽  
Teaching Practices ◽  
Problem Based Learning ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
System Level ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Research Opportunities ◽  
Learner Centered ◽  
Optimal Approach

This research is focused on the experiences of Canadian and American engineering educators and their implementations of innovative pedagogies such as problem-based learning (and its variations) into their teaching practices. Educators identified several aspects related to PBL use in their context, including the key PBL components they use and the tensions that they encounter at the classroom and system level when implementing such learner-centered pedagogies. Engineering education has been undergoing reform efforts for several years. Not only have PBL approaches been deemed by research literature to be an optimal approach to develop graduate competencies and attributes, but many reform efforts utilize explicitly or implicitly key components of PBL. Implications and future research opportunities are presented.

INNOVATIVE TEACHING METHODS AND ENGINEERING EDUCATION RESEARCH

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela Van Barneveld
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Engineering Education ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Response Rate ◽  
Traditional Approach ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
System Level ◽  
Innovative Teaching ◽  
Undergraduate Engineering Education ◽  
Survey Responses

In 2011, I conducted a research study that focused on the experiences of engineering educators who were implementing innovative pedagogies such as problem-based learning (or its variations) in undergraduate engineering education on a consistent and committed basis. The intent of the study was to identify not only the tensions encountered but also the management of tensions that arose when implementing these pedagogies. I specifically sought out this group of educators on the assumption that their belief in the benefits and outcomes of PBL outweighed the challenges that they faced at a classroom and system level when they, in essence, turned away from what may be considered a ‘traditional’ approach to engineering education.A survey was designed to capture data relevant to the research questions around implementation of PBL and tensions encountered. The data collection (1 month) period resulted in 313 valid survey responses who met inclusion criteria. Sixty-five engineering educators were interviewed on their teaching practices and management of tensions encountered when implementing PBL. At the end of the data collection period, I was left a sense of admiration for these educators who, despite having to address predictable and unpredictable tensions because of their pedagogical beliefs, maintained a course that they believed would best serve their students and society. So, between March 1 and July 29, 2011, a follow-up question was sent to all the educators who had been interviewed (n=65; response rate = 100%) and to those who not interviewed but had provided contact information (n=172; response rate = 33%). They were asked the following question: For an engineering educator wanting to implement PBL into their teaching practice, what words of wisdom (lessons learned) would you offer them (3‐5 bullet points)?The benefit of aggregating this sort of information may prove very useful for engineering educators and educational institutions planning the implementation of innovative pedagogies such as PBL.

Empowering professionalism in mission-oriented innovation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Markus M Bugge ◽  
Fazilat Siddiq
Keyword(s):  
Digital Literacy ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Teaching Practices ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Supply Side ◽  
Innovative Teaching ◽  
Teaching Tools

Abstract In the literature on mission-oriented innovation supply side and tech-oriented approaches have been complemented by broader and more inclusive societal approaches. Here, it is highlighted that both directionality and broad anchoring of diverse stakeholders across private, public, and civic domains are key to successful implementation. Still, it is unclear how these dimensions relate and unfold in practice. Using digital literacy in education as an example of mission-oriented innovation, this paper investigates what prerequisites and capabilities are needed to envision and govern such processes. Based upon a case study of innovative teaching practices in twenty-five classes at ten primary schools in Norway, the paper finds that the motivation, dedication, and engagement of the teachers is not primarily related to the digital technologies themselves, but to the professional and pedagogical anchoring of the digital teaching tools. The mobilization of the professionalism of the teachers is enabled by a process of balanced empowerment.

scholarly journals Teasing Apart Silvopasture System Components Using Machine Learning for Optimization

Soil Systems ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 41
Author(s):  
Tulsi P. Kharel ◽  
Amanda J. Ashworth ◽  
Phillip R. Owens ◽  
Dirk Philipp ◽  
Andrew L. Thomas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Linear Regression ◽  
Regression Tree ◽  
Plant Production ◽  
System Level ◽  
Learning Approaches ◽  
Nutrient Distribution ◽  
Wetness Index ◽  
Variable Approach ◽  
Animal Grazing

Silvopasture systems combine tree and livestock production to minimize market risk and enhance ecological services. Our objective was to explore and develop a method for identifying driving factors linked to productivity in a silvopastoral system using machine learning. A multi-variable approach was used to detect factors that affect system-level output (i.e., plant production (tree and forage), soil factors, and animal response based on grazing preference). Variables from a three-year (2017–2019) grazing study, including forage, tree, soil, and terrain attribute parameters, were analyzed. Hierarchical variable clustering and random forest model selected 10 important variables for each of four major clusters. A stepwise multiple linear regression and regression tree approach was used to predict cattle grazing hours per animal unit (h ha−1 AU−1) using 40 variables (10 per cluster) selected from 130 total variables. Overall, the variable ranking method selected more weighted variables for systems-level analysis. The regression tree performed better than stepwise linear regression for interpreting factor-level effects on animal grazing preference. Cattle were more likely to graze forage on soils with Cd levels <0.04 mg kg−1 (126% greater grazing hours per AU), soil Cr <0.098 mg kg−1 (108%), and a SAGA wetness index of <2.7 (57%). Cattle also preferred grazing (88%) native grasses compared to orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.). The result shows water flow within the landscape position (wetness index), and associated metals distribution may be used as an indicator of animal grazing preference. Overall, soil nutrient distribution patterns drove grazing response, although animal grazing preference was also influenced by aboveground (forage and tree), soil, and landscape attributes. Machine learning approaches helped explain pasture use and overall drivers of grazing preference in a multifunctional system.

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