Faculty Learning Community on Collaboration

The FLC is exploring ways to bring evidence-based collaborative learning techniques to engineering classrooms

A group of 7 faculty members from Speed are participating in a Faculty Learning Community (FLC) on Collaboration that is sponsored by the Speed School Center for Teaching and Learning Engineering.  Drs.  Marie Brown (Delphi Center) and Patricia Ralston (Engineering Fundamentals) are facilitators. The FLC is exploring ways to bring evidence-based collaborative learning techniques to engineering classrooms.  By properly structuring learning tasks to implement collaborative learning effectively, faculty help students learn the benefits of working together to improve both individual and collective achievement.

Faculty played a spirited game of HiHo CherryO to prepare for their session. They played the collaborative version where the goal is for the group to pick the cherries from the trees rather than compete against teammates.

Faculty played a spirited game of HiHo CherryO – the collaborative option where the goal is for the group to pick the cherries from the trees, rather than compete against teammates.

Collaborative Learning in Engineering Analysis I

Because faculty now have access to instructional videos (See December Post) for approximately one third of the content that was formerly delivered by lecture in Engineering Analysis I, faculty have more exciting options for how to use that time! This semester, Dr. Jeff Hieb is using that time to have his students meet in the newly renovated classroom, JS LL16, where he is working to implement collaborative learning.  Students work together on some homework problems and the number of problems they have to submit individually is reduced. The department is carefully studying this pilot group, and if this proves beneficial, we hope that eventually more EF classes will include collaborative learning.

ENGR 190 – Speed’s First Emporium Class

Dr. Jeff Hieb is shown assisting students in Room 016 of the JB Speed Building, which has been re-purposed as Speed School’s first collaborative classroom.

After months of study and research, the Engineering Fundamentals Department decided to redesign ENGR 190, the Introductory Calculus course taken by some of Speed’s first year students. Dr. Jeff Hieb agreed to lead this effort and is now directing a mathematics emporium for these students. This course provides intensive review of algebra, trigonometry, and introductory calculus concepts necessary for success in ENGR 101, Engineering Analysis I. The emporium design structures students’ learning opportunities, but allows them flexibility to attend the mathematics laboratory at times convenient to their schedule. All assignments and assessments are done on the computer using MyMathLab, courseware specifically designed to facilitate student learning.