Overview of Conversations
Each month the Engineering Learning Center will sponsor a conversation on
engineering education. These casual conversations about
current articles relating to teaching will take place on the 2nd
Monday of
each month in the Engineering Learning Center, which is located in M1012
Engineering Centers Building. It will be a "brownbag," so please
bring your lunch and join us from 12 to 1. Below is a calendar of previous
and upcoming meetings and links to the articles we will discuss (or have
discussed). Email
us for further information or to suggest articles.
This Month
Nov 9 -
Changing the Conversation: Messages for Improving Public Understanding of Engineering
Link:
2008 National Academy of Engineering Report, Changing the Conversation
(pdf of the executive summary)
Join colleagues on Monday, November 9th, at lunch for a
discussion about a recent National Academy of Engineering Report on changing
the message we provide to the public about engineering so that they will
better understand the profession and its value to society. You can
read the full report online here: Changing
the Conversation: Messages for Improving Public Understanding of Engineering. There
is also a podcast
available on the report. It will be a "brownbag," so
please bring your lunch and join us from 12 to 1.
Past Months
October 12 - A Culture of Innovation in Engineering Learning
2009
ASEE Report: Creating a Culture for Scholarly and Systemic Innovation in Engineering
Education Learning
Reflected on the meanings of this report for our work here at UW-Madison.
September 14 - Effectively Teaching Large Classes
Chapter
12 of Engaging Large Classes
by Christine Stanley and Eric Porter
Teri Balser of the Biology Department co-facilitated the discussion on teaching
large classes. Balser has extensive experience teaching large classes and
teaching the graduate course, "Teaching Large Classes," which will
taught again this spring. Faculty are welcome to sit in on that; it meets
Fridays from 3:00-4:30pm.
April 13 - Engineering Communication
Guest Facilitator - Laura Grossenbacher, Technical Communication Program Director
"Teaching Communication in Capstone Design: The Role of the Instructor in Situated Learning,"
from
the October 2008 JEE
The role of engineering instructors is crucial in helping students
develop effective communication skills. A reasonable next
step in that process is a meeting to share ideas about communication
teaching in capstone design courses. A starting point for the
discussion was an article by Dr. Marie Paretti, a faculty member
at Virginia Tech and formerly of UW-Madison, titled, "Teaching
Communication in Capstone Design: The Role of the Instructor in
Situated Learning."
March 9 - Engaging Students
"Pedagogies
of Engagment: Classroom-Based
Practices," from
the January 2005 JEE
February 9 - Math Skill Development for Engineers
We discussed "Looking
Beyond Content: Skills Development For Engineers," also from the July
2008 JEE. This article by Edward Redish and Karl Smith discusses
best-practices in helping engineering students develop the skill of mathematical
modeling and gives the underlying theory for these practices.
November 17, 2008 - 21st Century Engineering
We looked at a few editorials
from the July 2008 Journal
of Engineering Education on what 21st century engineering education should
look like.
"Context and Challenge for 21st Century Engineering Education"
"Perspectives
from Industry"
October 20, 2008 - What Students Want
"Excellence
in Engineering Education: Views of
Undergraduate Engineering Students," from
the
July 2007 JEE
