Engineering Classrooms Before and After Innovation

1. Engineering ClassroomsBefore and After Innovation David Cordes, University of Alabama, cordes@cs.ua.edu Jeff Froyd, Texas A&M University, froyd@ee.tamu.edu

2. Workshop Overview • Introduction (20 min) • Guidelines, what is an “innovative classroom”? • What Other Institutions Have Done (25 min) • Information dump • Classroom Transformation (30 min) • What do you do? How do you do this? • Other Issues and Considerations (20 min) • Items that can impact potential changes • Wrap-up (5 min)

3. Introduction: Basic Guidelines • Will operate in a team-based mode • The group knows more than any one person • Interrupt frequently • No pre-defined set of material that “must” be covered in this workshop • When looking at innovative classrooms, we will focus on • The use of technology in the classroom • Lower-division engineering courses

4. Introduction: Team Formation • Self-Organize into four-person groups • Want to emphasize both institutional and departmental diversity • Try to organize so that you have no more than one institutional representative per team • Introduce yourselves (name & institution) within the group • Group representative will introduce the group to the workshop as a whole

5. Introduction: Share information • Within your group: discuss the following question among yourselves What is an innovative classroom?(and could you recognize one if you saw it) Appoint a reporter to capture group results

6. An innovative classroom is ... Is this room an “innovative classroom” ? • Video projector and powerpoint • The people in it are sitting in little groups, talking, working together • Have a laptop computer • Depends on where you come from (what is the “norm”)? • Not: still could find a better design • Not: have not done anything yet, just talked theory • Not: seats in rows, flexibility is limited (chairs don’t roll) • Not: no network connections

7. An innovative classroom is ... • Use of novel methods in transferring knowledge and information to students • Computers and computer connections to networks (wired or wireless) • Appropriate software for the course • Facilitating the class, not just a “chalk-and-talk” • Not just having the equipment in the room, but the approach and how it is used • Position of instructor/facilitator, walks around and gets involved • Noise (other than instructor), other conversations taking place • White boards available for groups to utilize (wall-to-wall) • Distance capable, e.g. video-conferencing, video-taping • Electronic white boards (can record on them for later), MIMIO • Professor can look and assess what the students are doing • Chemistry classroom feedback – simple button students use to relay information back to the instructor (also online testing)

8. Part 2: What others have done Short (~25 minute) information dump • Background Information • one-page introduction to technology-enabled learning • Representative Foundation Coalition efforts • Arizona State University • Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology • Texas A&M University • University of Alabama • University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth • Other sample initiatives • Drexel’s EE laboratories • RPI’s studio model

9. New Classroom Environments

10. Arizona State University • Philosophy • College focus on technology in classrooms, different classrooms for different needs, faculty training essential • Classroom layout & equipment • Hold 40 to 80 students, team-based seating, instructor has ability to project student work on main screens • Software & Applications • Wide variety, different rooms have different packages, all information available via the Internet • Audience • All fundamental engineering courses

11. Arizona State University Sample ASU Classroom

12. Rose-Hulman Institute of Tech • Philosophy • Completely networked campus environment • Classroom layout & equipment • Every student purchases a notebook computer as an entering student (model is specified by institution) • Over 20 classrooms have been equipped with network and power connections to support notebook computers • Software & Applications • Maple (calculus), Working Model & Maple (dynamics), Physics labs (Excel - data acquisition/analysis) • Audience • All engineering students and classes

13. Texas A&M University • Philosophy • Classroom technology must be scalable for large classes (~100) • Classroom layout & equipment • Remodeled about 10 classrooms for first-year and sophomore courses • One computer per two students • Departments have constructed their own classrooms, more are planned • Software & Applications • Microsoft Office, Maple, AutoCAD, Eng. Equation Solver (EES), Internet • EE has students design, simulate, construct, measure and compare behavior of circuits. Class uses NI hardware and software. • Audience • Freshman and sophomore engineering students • Specialized classes in specific disciplines

14. CVLB 319: ENGR 112 Team Layout Sections 501 - 503 Windows Windows 20 19 21 24 23 22 Podium Screen Screen 18 17 16 15 14 9 13 11 10 12 8 7 6 5 3 2 4 1 Doors Doors

15. University of Alabama • Philosophy • Technology in classrooms, classrooms convenient to students (one new classroom in “engineering dorm”) • Classroom layout & equipment • Remodeled six different classrooms • Tables for four, one computer per two students • Departments constructing their own classrooms • Software & Applications • Microsoft Office, compilers, FORTRAN, Maple • Audience • Freshman engineering students • All students in introductory computing sequence

16. Alabama Classroom Layout • Several classroom formats exist • All have computers at student desks, instructor console, projection system • Primarily used for lower-division classes

17. University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth • Classroom layout & equipment • Remodeled three classrooms with tables that seat four students and have two computers (48 seats) • Software & Applications • Maple and Excel • Based on Studio Physics model (RPI), students perform physics and chemistry experiments in the classroom, acquire, display and analyze data • Audience • Freshman & sophomore engineering majors

18. University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth IMPULSE Classroom

19. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)Studio Classrooms • Philosophy – studio environment • Integrate classroom (lecture) with laboratory (experiments, acquire/display/analyze data) • Classroom layout & equipment • Tables with two students (one computer) • Student • Using computer faces away from instructor • Listens to lecture facing away from computer • Audience • Mathematics, sciences, engineering students

20. RPI Classroom Layout • Students face instructor during lecture • Away from computers • Student away from instructor when using computers • Instructor cansee monitorseasily

21. Drexel Classroomshttp://www.educatorscorner.com/education/case_studies/drexel.shtml • Laboratory layout & equipment • Laboratory bench for two students (one computer) • Suite of measurement equipment with computer control • First-year and sophomore students • Perform experiments and laboratory projects for three hours/week • Philosophy • From the start students work with current equipment and explore stimulating physical phenomena • Audience • Engineering students

22. Part 3: Transformation • As a team, design your “ideal classroom environment” for the Fall of 2002 • Describe this classroom environment • Describe how your new activities would benefit students and their learning • Describe the resources (besides $$$) that would be required to realize your visions • Select a different reporter from last time

23. Group reports… • Text goes here, fill in during workshop

24. Design & Utilization Rooms available for renovation Physical layout considerations Equipment (cost, size, location, power, HV/AC) Time (often takes more than one summer to build) Faculty support and education & development Scheduling of these rooms Monitoring & after-hours access Maintenance & upgrade time availability Administrative Institution’s computing policies Software licensing Purchase, replacement & upgrade costs Support staffing Clear plan for what inst. is doing with technology Impact on T&P process Want to assess results, how to best do this How to get financial support from State or outside sources? Part 4: Other Critical Issues

25. Identifying Critical Issues • In your group, assume that your “ideal” classroom for the Fall of 2002 was to be implemented on each of your member’s campuses. • For each campus represented, identify the top five issues involved with its adoption and use. That is, what issues from the previous page are most critical to your success at your institution? • Use a different reporter from last time

26. Group reports… • Text goes here, fill in during workshop

27. End of workshop Questions?

28. Resources • Relevant resources • Foundation Coalition • http://www.foundationcoalition.org/ • Arizona State University • http://www.eas.asu.edu/ceasrooms/ • http://www.eas.asu.edu/~asufc/teaming.html • Texas A&M University • http://coalition.tamu.edu/ • RPI Studio Classroom • http://ciue.rpi.edu/studioteaching.html • Sigma Xi Resources • http://www.sigmaxi.org/scienceresources/undergradedu.htm