Becoming a Professional Engineering Educator: A New Role for a New Era

Abstract

Engineering education faces significant challenges as it seeks to meet the demands on the engineering profession in the twenty‐first century. Engineering faculty will need to continue to learn new approaches to teaching and learning, which in turn will require effective professional development for both new and experienced instructors alike. This article explores approaches to effective professional development and provides a conceptual framework for responding to the challenge of becoming a professional engineering educator. The “cycle of professional practice” is introduced as a prelude for identifying what individual professors and their institutions can do to generate more powerful forms of engineering education. The article concludes with two case studies that illustrate the possibilities when faculty and academic leaders join together in addressing calls for change.

The Influence of Action Learning on Student Perception and Performance

“…Late last century saw growing support for major reform of engineering curricula to include "integrated and experiential activities and early exposure to engineering" and more explicit focus on "skills such as problem-solving, communication, team and leadership, and life-long learning" (Fink et al, 2005). The numerous reports cited in the work by Fink et al (2005) called for these educational changes "to educate students for life by helping them learn how to learn". A popular curriculum design that has been adopted in response to this drive is problembased learning.…”

Action learning in undergraduate engineering thesis supervision

“…There exists increasing pressure on higher education institutions to provide instructional methods, content and graduates with attributes more closely aligned with the needs of industry (O'Brian & Hart, 1999). Late last century saw growing support for major reform of engineering curricula to include "integrated and experiential activities and early exposure to engineering" and more explicit focus on "skills such as problem-solving, communication, team and leadership, and life-long learning" (Fink, Ambrose & Wheeler, 2005). The numerous reports cited in the work by Fink et al (2005) call for these educational changes "to educate students for life by helping them learn how to learn".…”

“…Late last century saw growing support for major reform of engineering curricula to include "integrated and experiential activities and early exposure to engineering" and more explicit focus on "skills such as problem-solving, communication, team and leadership, and life-long learning" (Fink, Ambrose & Wheeler, 2005). The numerous reports cited in the work by Fink et al (2005) call for these educational changes "to educate students for life by helping them learn how to learn". A popular curriculum design that has been adopted in response to this drive is problem based learning.…”

How Professional Development in Project Lead the Way Changes High School STEM Teachers’ Beliefs about Engineering Education

“…Consequently, there is a growing need to understand K-12 STEM teachers' knowledge and beliefs, effectiveness and instructional decision making (Fink, Ambrose, & Wheeler, 2005). Education research shows that instructional practice and teacher decision making are influenced by teachers' beliefs about learning and instruction (Borko, Livingston, & Shavelson, 1990;Brophy & Good, 1974;Grossman, 1990;Nathan & Koedinger, 2000;Rosenthal & Jacobson, 1968).…”