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Session 2468

A Teaching And Learning Initiative at the United States Military Academy Colonel Wayne E. Whiteman, Major Samuel C. Homsy United States Military Academy, West Point, New York

Abstract

In the spring of 1999, the Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering and the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the United States Military Academy began a joint three-year Teaching and Learning Initiative. The purpose of this initiative is to improve cadet development by promoting active learning, by evolving a curriculum development process that enhances learning and growth across an integrated cadet academic experience, and to invigorate faculty teaching and scholarship by continuous development. This paper addresses the philosophy of this initiative along with visions and desired outcomes from the effort. Initial goals, objectives, performance criteria, and data collection efforts are presented. The organizational structure for the initiative is outlined to include work groups. Preliminary feedback, assessment, and results from the first year of the initiative are presented.

I. Introduction

This paper provides a road map and initial results from a three-year Teaching and Learning Initiative undertaken at the United States Military Academy. In the spring of 1999, the Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering and the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the United States Military Academy began a joint three-year Teaching and Learning Initiative. The purpose of this initiative is to improve cadet development by promoting active learning, by evolving a curriculum development process that enhances learning and growth across an integrated cadet academic experience, and to invigorate faculty teaching and scholarship by continuous development.

II. Teaching and Learning Initiative Philosophy

The basis for this initiative is the premise that learning is a function of the way we teach. We postulate that different styles of teaching are more effective than others depending on the situation. As noted in Kolb’s Learning Cycle1, students also have a variety of preferences for the way they learn. The more teachers understand the learning process, the more effective they can become in applying appropriate learning activities.

Figure 1 graphically displays this philosophy. The ordinate indicates the level of learning. The abscissa shows a spectrum of learning activities. To the far left are activities that involve little student involvement or input. Complete control of content and delivery lies with the faculty member. Students are in the receive mode and lack enthusiastic engagement. To the far right are events with little or no faculty involvement or input. Activities which lie more toward this end of the spectrum might include sessions where the faculty member is available if consulted, but the student completely controls the pace and direction of the exercise with little mentoring or

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Homsy, S., & Whiteman, W. (2000, June), A Teaching And Learning Initiative At The United States Military Academy Paper presented at 2000 Annual Conference, St. Louis, Missouri. 10.18260/1-2--8742