Conference Session

Survivor: The First Few Years

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Elizabeth Creamer, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Tonya Saddler, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Margaret Layne, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Tagged Divisions

New Engineering Educators

recognized as one of the strongest influences on academic scientists’ and engineers’productivity1 and satisfaction2. Perceptions of climate reflect policies, practices, and interactionsat both a local level, as within a lab or department, and at more global level of the college oruniversity. The Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE), anemerging voice from Harvard University about faculty careers, measures climate to include (a)personal and professional interactions with colleagues, (b) opportunities for collaboration, (c)sense of fit, (d) intellectual vitality of the senior faculty, (e) fairness of evaluation, (f) equitabletreatment, and (g) support for professional development. Perceptions of climate at the more locallevel

Conference Session

Best of the NEE

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Norman Fortenberry, National Academy of Engineering; Tylisha Baber, Michigan State University

Tagged Divisions

New Engineering Educators

refined by Shulman into “scholarship of teaching andlearning” and “scholarly teaching”[3]. The former is essentially the scholarship of discoverywithin the domain of education[4]. Our focus here is on the latter, “scholarly teaching” which isdistinguished from “teaching” by its focus on teaching practice and learning outcomes, groundedin disciplinary content and pedagogic knowledge, reflective critique, commitment tocommunication to peers and openness to peer evaluation([2], pp. 87-88). Scholarly teaching holds thepromise of enhanced student learning through rigorous faculty attention to learning. Becausetenure and promotion depend upon evaluations of scholarship and because compared toevaluation of the scholarships of discovery and synthesis

Conference Session

Tricks of the Trade I

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Aly Tawfik, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Janis Terpenny, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Richard Goff, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Tagged Divisions

New Engineering Educators

, and then appliedthese during the Friday class. These adjustments were based on instructor reflections, peersuggestions, and students’ feedback. The workshops are the active learning sessions for the“Engineering Exploration” class, which is a core introductory engineering course for all first-year engineering students at Virginia Tech. The study was performed over the fall semester of2007. Statistical tests and measures show that while the two similar workshops belonged to thesame population, with respect to means and standard deviations of the learning outcomemeasures, they significantly differed with respect to students’ satisfaction. Statistical methods forappropriate analysis of data are also reported.BackgroundThe Engineering Exploration

Conference Session

Tricks of the Trade I

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jerry Samples, University of Pittsburgh -Johnstown

Tagged Divisions

New Engineering Educators

the Page 13.839.3students? They don’t give me tenure!” Others throw themselves into teaching to side step thepressure to conduct important research or bring in a big grant. They can then explain theirfailure to complete dissertations, produce publications, or obtain tenure as rising from theirchoice to pursue teaching excellence.” Lowman goes on to say: “Such “champions of goodteaching” often fail to notice that some colleagues can balance the competing demands on theirtime and do well in both teaching and scholarship. It is this balance that is reflected in theteacher-scholar model.The next concern is why worry about teaching at all. In

Conference Session

Tricks of the Trade I

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Adrian Ieta, Murray State University; Thomas Doyle, McMaster University; Arthur Pallone

Tagged Divisions

New Engineering Educators

’ performance; this feedback is alwayswelcome as instructors can reflect on the students’ perceptions and attempt to improvetheir teaching methods. Education institutions use student evaluations of teaching (SET)to establish the quality of instructors’ work as well as for tenure, promotions, retention,and salary raise purposes. SET and their interpretations therefore have significantimportance and have been widely treated in the literature. There are various opinionsregarding the validity of SET as a measure of the instructors’ work quality. Gillmore [1]shows that adequate instructor reliability rating is achieved when aggregating acrossabout seven classes and that it becomes especially strong when aggregating across 15 ormore classes under specific

Conference Session

Tricks of the Trade II

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Marshall, University of Southern Maine; June Marshall, St. Joseph's College

Tagged Divisions

New Engineering Educators

students need to be successful in mycourse? Will they need to organize large amounts of information, summarize information,use rote memory techniques, or prepare for essay exams? Page 13.968.7Application of the Theory:Assisting students in developing study strategies which fit the type of testing (or otherforms of assessment) used in the course and which reflect the amount and nature of theinformation that must be learned will go a long way to promoting academic success.Question #7 - Learning Strategies: What types of learning strategies do my studentsneed? Will they need to collaborate with others in small or large groups? Will studentsneed to listen

Conference Session

Survivor: The First Few Years

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ryan Beasley, Texas A&M University; Ana Elisa Goulart, Texas A&M University; Wei Zhan, Texas A&M University

Tagged Divisions

New Engineering Educators

shifting context,” Review of Higher Education, volume 26, number 2, pages 119-144, 2002.13. J. Smith, J. Whitman, P. Grant, A. Stanutz, J. Russett, and K. Rankin, “Peer networking as a dynamic approach to supporting new faculty,” Innovative Higher Education, volume 25, number 3, pages 197-207, 2001.14. E. Bennion, “The importance of peer mentoring for facilitating professional and personal development,” Political Science & Politics, number 37, pages 111-113, 2004.15. K. Kram and L. Isabella, “Mentoring alternatives: The role of peer relationships in career development,” Academy of Management Journal, number 28, pages 110–132, 1985.16. J. Cowdery, Induction-year mentors’ self-perceptions and reflections on their training and