Curriculum (re)development in electrical and computer engineering programs

B. Pejcinovic, L. Zurk, M. Siderius, M. Holtzman, D. Duncan, R. Bass, R. Kravitz,

J. MorrisElectrical and Computer Engineering

Classroom in 1910

1930

1960

1990

2012

So, you want to (radically) change your curriculum?

• WHAT

• WHY

• HOW

• Why should you care and join us?

WHAT

Identify and transform at least one ECE course on each level of study for

a total of 4-5 courses

Use tested and practical techniques, suitable to our environment

Use this experience to transform the rest of the curriculum

WHY

• Plenty of research we can radically improve our students’ learning

• Many effective pedagogical approaches have been proposed and tested, but adoption of these methods in engineering is sporadic

• Engineering is very well suited for many techniques involving problem-solving and project-based learning

Opportunities and challenges

Research Based Instructional Strategies (RBIS)

• Active Learning• Case-Based Teaching• Collaborative Learning• Concept Tests• Cooperative Learning• Inquiry Learning• Just-In-Time Teaching• Peer Instruction• Problem-Based Learning• Service Learning …

• Faculty know about RBIS but:

• 25% discontinue their use• 25% use only 1-2 RBIS• Lack of continued support

for adopters

• “… engineering faculty members indicate that time to apply these approaches is the largest barrier to use.”

HOW

• Stages:1. In depth analysis of learning outcomes,

2. Catalogue available teaching best-practices (both in general and specific to a given course),

3. implement these in a classroom

4. assess the results

5. Tightly integrate curriculum across years

HOW

• Investigate and implement (1st year):

– Flipped-classroom approach

– Electronic portfolios

– Proficiency testing

– In-class active learning

– …

• Document and share

• Expand to the rest of the curriculum (2nd year)

Join us if

• You are facing similar challenges and want to implement similar curriculum-level changes

• You want to find out how well these techniques work in practice and learn from our mistakes

• You can provide feedback from your experience