Reflective Teaching In A Digital Age

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 this episode:
Rogers, C. (2020). A Time to Experiment. ASEE Prism, 29(4), 21-21

Bio:
Chris Rogers earned his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering at Stanford University, where he worked with Professor John Eaton on his thesis on particle motion in a boundary layer flow. Rogers joined the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Tufts School of Engineering in 1989. He is involved in a number of research areas, including particle-laden flows (a continuation of his thesis), telerobotics and controls, slurry flows in chemical-mechanical planarization, the engineering of musical instruments, measuring flame shapes of couch fires, measuring fruit-fly locomotion, and engineering education (kindergarten to college). At Tufts, Rogers has exercised his strong commitment to teaching by exploring a number of new directions, including teaching robotics with LEGO bricks and teaching manufacturing by building musical instruments. His teaching work extends to the elementary school level, where he talks with over 1,000 teachers around the world every year on methods of introducing young children to engineering.

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, assessment approaches, and generally, what is important to remember when designing (or redesigning) an engineering course for online instruction.

Bio:
Dr. Wertz is an Assistant Professor of General Engineering at Valparaiso University, located in Valparaiso Indiana. She has earned a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Trine University, a M.S. in Civil Engineering from Purdue University, and a Ph.D. in Engineering Education also from Purdue University. Dr. Wertz teaches courses in First-Year Engineering and Statics. Her research interests include K-8 engineering outreach, spatial skill development, theories of teaching and learning, and online engineering education.  

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 framework, its role in the thoughtful design of online education, and practical ways of helping students learn through active participation and shared meaning making.

For more information about the CoI Framework, please visit: https://coi.athabascau.ca/

References mentioned in this episode:
Garrison, D. R. (2016). E-learning in the 21st century: A community of inquiry framework for research and practice. Taylor & Francis.
Garrison, D. R. (2015). Thinking collaboratively: Learning in a community of inquiry. Routledge.
Vaughan, N. D., Cleveland-Innes, M., & Garrison, D. R. (2013). Teaching in blended learning environments: Creating and sustaining communities of inquiry. Athabasca University Press.
Garrison, D. R., & Akyol, Z. (2013). The community of inquiry theoretical framework. Handbook of distance education, 3, 104-120.
Garrison, D. R. (2007). Online community of inquiry review: Social, cognitive, and teaching presence issues. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 11(1), 61-72.

Bio:
D. Randy Garrison is professor emeritus at the University of Calgary.  Dr. Garrison has been Dean of Extension at the University of Alberta, Director of the Teaching and Learning Centre at the University of Calgary. He has published extensively on teaching and learning in adult, higher and distance education contexts. From a research perspective Dr. Garrison has authored, co-authored or edited thirteen books and well over 100 refereed articles/chapters. His most recent book is E-Learning in the 21st Century: A Community of Inquiry Framework for Research and Practice (3rd Edition) (2017).

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 particular educational tool will help to achieve learning outcomes is frequently not part of the decision-making process. Dr. Kandakatla talks to us about a thoughtful and holistic approach to thinking about educational technology tools integration in STEM classes using a variation of the Content, Assessment, and Pedagogy (CAP) framework he calls TCAP (Technology, Content, Assessment, and Pedagogy).

Bio:
Dr. Rohit Kandakatla has completed his Ph.D. in Engineering Education from Purdue University and is currently serving as the Director for Strategy, Operations, and Human Resource Development at KG Reddy College of Engineering and Technology. He also has an adjunct faculty appointment with the Center for Engineering Education Research at KLE Technological University. Prior to his PhD in Purdue, Rohit completed his bachelor’s and master’s in electrical engineering from India. His research interests include faculty use of educational technology, service learning, understanding organizational development in higher education and education policy.

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 design in an online environment, and the importance of social-emotional support in online instruction.

References mentioned in this episode:
Streveler, R. A., Smith, K. A., & Pilotte, M. (2012). Aligning course content, assessment, and delivery: Creating a context for outcome-based education. In Outcome-based science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education: Innovative practices (pp. 1-26). IGI Global.

Bio:
Dr. Ruth A. Streveler is a Professor in the School of Engineering Education at Purdue University. Dr. Streveler has been the Principle Investigator or co-Principle Investigator of ten grants funded by the US National Science Foundation. She is an Associated Editor for the Journal of Engineering Education (JEE), has published articles in the JEE and the International Journal of Engineering Education, and contributed two chapters to the Cambridge Handbook of Engineering Education Research. She has presented workshops to over 500 engineering faculty on four continents. Dr. Streveler’s primary research interests are investigating students’ understanding of difficult concepts in engineering science and helping engineering faculty conduct rigorous research in engineering education.