Perspectives of Pedagogical Change Within a Broadcast STEM Course
- Conference
- Location
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Seattle, Washington
- Publication Date
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June 14, 2015
- Start Date
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June 14, 2015
- End Date
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June 17, 2015
- ISBN
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978-0-692-50180-1
- ISSN
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2153-5965
- Conference Session
- Tagged Division
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Mathematics
- Page Count
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17
- Page Numbers
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26.1226.1 - 26.1226.17
- DOI
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10.18260/p.24563
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/24563
- Download Count
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486
Paper Authors
Angela Minichiello
Utah State University
orcid.org/0000-0002-4545-9355
Angela Minichiello is a Principal Lecturer and doctoral candidate in the Department of Engineering Education at Utah State University (USU). She instructs undergraduate engineering courses via distance delivery methods to students at the USU regional campuses. Angela is a registered professional mechanical engineer with 15 years experience as a practicing engineer. She earned a BSME degree from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, a MSME degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and is currently pursuing a PhD in Engineering Education at USU. She is Principal Investigator for Online Learning Forums for Improved Engineering Student Outcomes in Calculus, a research project funded by the NSF TUES program. Her research interests include engineering student learning, distance engineering education, and alternative pathways to engineering education.
Ted Campbell Utah State University
Ted Campbell is a Lecturer in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Utah State University (USU). He teaches undergraduate mathematics and statistics courses via synchronous broadcast to students at the USU regional campuses. Ted has a bachelor’s degree in materials engineering from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and a master’s degree in mathematics from Montana State University. During the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 academic years he taught Calculus I and Calculus II classes for Online Learning Forums for Improved Engineering Student Outcomes in Calculus, a research project funded by the NSF TUES program. Ted has been teaching math for over eighteen years.
Jim Dorward Utah State University
Jim Dorward is a Professor of Education specializing in Program Evaluation, Research Methods, and Mathematics Education. His collaborations have produced the National Library of Virtual Manipulatives, the National Center for Engineering and Technology Education, an evaluation capacity building project for the Math and Science Partnership program, and the Instructional Architect service software for the National STEM Digital Library.
Sherry Marx Utah State University
Sherry Marx, PhD, is a professor of qualitative research methodologies, ESL education, and multicultural education.
Abstract
Perspectives on Pedagogical Innovation within a STEM Classroom While a critical need for pedagogical transformation within undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) instruction is well documented within the research literature, the pace of change remains slow. Difficulties associated with implementing and sustaining instructional changes appear daunting— if not insurmountable—to many STEM faculty. Instructional innovations proposed in the research literature are, at best, only sporadically transferred to instructional practice. Resultantly, the course for STEM education towards systematic and lasting pedagogical transformation remains largely uncharted. To improve understanding of the challenges faced by STEM faculty who engage in pedagogical change, this paper presents a narrative account of instructional innovation occurring within undergraduate engineering calculus at a mid-‐size, western, public university. The instructional innovation requires first and second year calculus students to participate in an asynchronous, online discussion forum for graded course credit. The case narrative is told from the situated perspectives of three faculty members involved in the change: a mathematics educator implementing the online pedagogical innovation within his course, an engineering faculty peer mentor assisting with the implementation of the forum within the course, and a STEM education faculty member and administrator who is observing the process of change. We situate this qualitative study within the interpretive theoretical perspective with an understanding that people experience the world uniquely and, therefore, differently. We use narrative analysis of the three participants’ reflections to provide insights into the multi-‐faceted ways in which STEM faculty may experience barriers to enacting pedagogical change. Lastly, we use our analysis to provide recommendations for promoting grass-‐roots pedagogical change within STEM undergraduate education.
Minichiello, A., & Campbell, T., & Dorward, J., & Marx, S. (2015, June), Perspectives of Pedagogical Change Within a Broadcast STEM Course Paper presented at 2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Seattle, Washington. 10.18260/p.24563
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