Reflective Teaching In A Digital Age

An educational approach that is based on the idea that kids are competent and can be in charge of their own learning opens opportunities for creative activities that support exploration, problem-solving, and teamwork. In this conversation, Barbara Bratzel, shares her reflections and practical advice about supporting students’ learning and progress through a project-based learning model and develop...

When designing a blended learning class instructors are faced with many decisions about teaching modalities, use of technology, relevant learning activities, and assessment methods. In this episode Dr. Norm Vaughn talks to us about the history and core principles of blended learning, ways to design synchronous and asynchronous learning experiences as well as integration of meaningful feedback to s...

Using a contextualized approach for assessment and evaluation of engineering classes is integral for supporting student progress. In this episode Dr. Kerrie Douglas talks to us about the evaluation criteria necessary for providing meaningful feedback to instructors on student engagement, as well as the importance of rethinking ways to design effective learning experiences for in person and online...

Engaging STEM students early in solving complex problems that better their communities not only helps to prepare them for the future professional environment, but also positively impacts their motivation by making their work meaningful and impactful. Dr. Ellis shares her reflections about student engagement in the learning process from years of experience teaching online software engineering class...

Learning how to work together to accomplish shared goals is at the center of the engineering design process. The cooperative learning model, adapted to engineering education by Dr. Karl Smith, offers a powerful interactive educational approach that emphasizes interdependence and accountability. Dr. Smith shares with us the theoretical background of the cooperative learning model, unpacks its core...

For many instructors making decisions about what content must be emphasized, what needs to be assessed, and how to design activities that maximize learning is a challenging task, regardless of the mode of teaching. In this episode, Drs. Ruth Streveler and Karl Smith who collaborated on writing an opinion piece on their CAP framework share with us a way of thinking about redesigning off and online...

Teamwork facilitation in engineering classes, where students must collaboratively develop a solution to complex, open-ended problems, is uniquely challenging. The role of the instructor extends from supporting students in the development of necessary technical knowledge and skills to helping teams figure out their collaborative workflow processes. Dr. Nies talks to us about his extensive teaching...

Opportunities and limitations presented by leveraging multiple modalities of teaching provide a point of reflection for how to build an effective learning environment that addresses diverse needs of learners. In this conversation, Dr. Brent Jesiek shares his insights about approaches to assessment (online and offline), accessibility issues, finding ways to better connect school learning to workpla...

Use of Online laboratories in science and engineering classes during the pandemic became widespread by necessity. Many STEM instructors had to experiment with and transition to different types of online laboratories, such as remote, augmented reality or virtual. In this conversation, Dr. Dominik May talks to us about the background of online laboratory development, their use in engineering classes...

Making sense of engineering faculty’s needs for the transition to the “new normal” of instruction is a challenging endeavor. Teaching online, face-to-face or in hybrid modes present different advantages as well as complexities. Dr. John Morelock talks to us about his experiences supporting engineering faculty during their shift to online teaching and later helping to transition to the hybrid metho...

Continuing our conversation about the Community of Inquiry Framework and its application to online learning, we focus this episode on the role of Teaching Presence in facilitating the meaningful design of educational experiences. Dr. Vaughan talks to us about the theoretical foundations of Teaching Presence, its implications for practice, and ways to empower learners to become successful problem s...

Technology in education has gained a tremendous role during the time of the pandemic. From kindergarten through college, technology is being used to connect us, provide access to a variety of resources, and most importantly to empower students by engaging them in active learning experiences. The latter requires rethinking more transactional ways of teaching and recognizing the potential of technol...

The interplay between learning goals, instructional support, and affordances of online technology can create a new learning environment for experimenting with what matters most and rethinking habits we have gotten into. Dr. Robin Adams talks to us about her personal experience of teaching engineering design online for the first time. She thoughtfully reflects on instructional decisions she had to...

For many educators online teaching is a relatively new experience that presents opportunities for rethinking traditional instruction and beliefs about student learning. Dr. Rogers talks to us about the importance of setting clear learning goals, using appropriate assessment metrics, and developing ways of thinking about the role of technology to support meaningful learning. References mentioned in...

Teaching engineering online is a uniquely challenging task. Conceptually difficult knowledge, hands-on experience, problem-solving and teamwork are at the core of many engineering courses and when taught remotely, require careful planning. Dr. Wertz talks to us about her practical and theoretical experience in online engineering education. She discusses topics of social bonding, team’s cohesion, a...

Online teaching is a complex process that requires rethinking the role of the instructor, student interactions, and meaningful ways of learning. The CoI framework gets at the heart of establishing and sustaining online educational experiences through the development of interdependent elements: social, cognitive, and teaching presence. Dr. Randy Garrison will talk to us about the history of the CoI...

The CAP Framework is widely known in the engineering education community. It is focused on alignment of content, assessment, and pedagogy to progress towards learning objectives and is frequently used as an approach to curriculum development in engineering courses. Dr. Streveler talks to us about her personal experience with online teaching, ways the CAP framework can be used to rethink course des...

Whether we have experienced teaching face-to-face, blended, or online classes, educational technology tools for learning have been part of the teaching resources repertoire for quite some time now. Integration of simulations, virtual labs, collaborative platforms, and assessment tools as part of the teaching process is familiar to many, yet a more deliberate approach to thinking of how a particula...