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Pedagogy for Pedagogy: Using a Wiki to Promote the Adoption, Development, and Implementation of Challenge-based Instruction in STEM Education

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Conference

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

San Antonio, Texas

Publication Date

June 10, 2012

Start Date

June 10, 2012

End Date

June 13, 2012

ISSN

2153-5965

Conference Session

Future Directions of Continuing Professional Development

Tagged Division

Continuing Professional Development

Page Count

13

Page Numbers

25.1030.1 - 25.1030.13

DOI

10.18260/1-2--21787

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/21787

Download Count

415

Paper Authors

biography

Stephen W. Crown University of Texas, Pan American

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Stephen Crown is a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Texas, Pan American. He has been actively involved in a number of grants supporting innovative and effective teaching methods for engineering education. Crown directed the faculty development component of a large Department of Education grant that supports Challenge Based Instruction and is the director of the Texas Pre-freshman Engineering program in Edinburg.

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biography

Arturo A. Fuentes University of Texas, Pan American

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Arturo Alejandro Fuentes is an Associate Professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Texas Pan American. He holds a Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in mechanical engineering from Rice University. Among his research interests are nano-reinforced composites, dynamic response analysis, non-destructive evaluation, and engineering education. Among his teaching responsibilities are Finite Element Method, Mechanical Vibrations, and Introduction to Mechanical Engineering at the undergraduate level, and Structural Dynamics, Advanced Mechanics of Materials, and Finite Element Analysis at the graduate level.

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Robert A. Freeman University of Texas, Pan American

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Abstract

Pedagogy for Pedagogy: Using a Wiki to promote the adoption, development,and implementation of Challenge Based Instruction in STEM education.AbstractFinding an effective new pedagogy with a proven record of advances in student efficacy andefficiency while challenging may be easier than establishing widespread adoption of suchmethods in academia. Challenge Based Instruction (CBI) is an inductive problem based teachingmethod that carefully encourages student exploration along optimal learning paths. Studentsare attracted to the learning objectives defined by the instructor using creative and carefullydesigned challenges presented to the students prior to delivery of course content. Thissignificant shift in classroom delivery, although proven to be effective, can be difficultadjustment for faculty who have been neither a student nor teacher in a CBI course. As part ofa three year Collaborative Department of Education grant to support the adoption of CBI inSTEM fields, a Wiki was developed as a repository and resource of CBI course content using amethod of backwards design and the Legacy cycle. Development of the Wiki was supported byover 100 STEM faculty from two institutions who participated in over 20 hours of workshopsand workdays. The Wiki is comprised of participating faculty briefs on the development andimplementation of a single CBI lecture for a STEM course. Over the course of the three yeargrant as new groups of 20 cycled through the workshops, the Wiki briefs served as a powerfulresource for new faculty and as a useful platform for ongoing development and interaction.The site has recently been adopted for use with a Department of Defense grant to furtherpromote CBI among faculty at four additional institutions. The methods used to develop andpromote the site, the significant materials and templates developed, and the challenges facedand successes experienced in widespread adoption of a new pedagogy are presented alongwith conclusions on the usefulness of this method.

Crown, S. W., & Fuentes, A. A., & Freeman, R. A. (2012, June), Pedagogy for Pedagogy: Using a Wiki to Promote the Adoption, Development, and Implementation of Challenge-based Instruction in STEM Education Paper presented at 2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, San Antonio, Texas. 10.18260/1-2--21787

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