Research-Based Strategies for Teaching

The Takeaway: There has been much research showing how successful student-centered teaching strategies are, but despite this, student-centered teaching practices have not been widely adopted. The authors identify three engineering faculty who have made the transition to student-centered teaching strategies and detail their stories about the transition.

Research Questions

• In what ways do engineering faculty describe their personal journey of changing their teaching practices and pedagogies?
• In what ways, if any, do these successful change stories illuminate contextual and individual factors that contribute to this change?

Theoretical Framework

• Dewey’s Theory of Experience

• Explains that an experience has the potential to act as a ‘moving force’ and that through having an experience that “arouses curiosity, strengthens initiative, and sets up desires and purposes,” the experience can be an impetus for growth. An experience can only be fully understood if one considers not only the individual, but also the environment in which the individual interacts.

• Application of theory to study

• The faculty members’ experience is represented in their journey as they interact with their environment (i.e. the institution and their classroom) in the process of executing change. The faculty member’s process, from the onset of their desire for change to its actualisation, is the growth that Dewey describes.

Results

• Case 1: This professor first noticed the value of student-centered teaching when taking a religious studies course utilizing student-centered techniques. The effectiveness of these strategies led them to instigate implementing this type of teaching in their own classroom—a thermodynamic course. They received pushback from other professors and students, yet the professor still continued incorporating student-centered practices, revising them along the way.
• Case 2: After teaching a variety of Civil Engineering courses during graduate school and eventually as a faculty member, this professor’s teaching style evolved from teaching with a teacher-centred approach to a more student-centred approach by centering mentorship. This professor decided to permanently change their teaching towards an active-learning student approach because they realised that worksheets and grading answers as either right or wrong did not contribute towards their vision of student learning.
• Case 3: This professor held a strong connection between engineering and practical, “real world” experiences. They had strong relationships with the construction industry and engineering firms in the area and frequently incorporated guest speakers and real world problems in their classroom. In addition, this professor sought out opportunities to continue learning beyond their field or expertise. Through this learning process they discovered ways to structure their class in a way that was engaging for the students. For example, rather than relying solely on lecture for teaching, they incorporated hands-on learning experiences.

Do you identify with any of these faculty experiences? Can your personal experience help you implement student-centered learning strategies in your classroom?