The Role of University Teaching Centers in Improving Engineering Education

1. The Role of University Teaching Centers in Improving Engineering Education Steven A. Freeman Agricultural and Biosystems EngineeringCenter for Excellence in Learning and TeachingIowa State University

2. Theme • The Role of University Teaching Centers in helping faculty develop: • Innovative teaching methodologies to prepare engineers and technologists of the future

3. Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching 3024 Morrill Hall Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011 phone: 515-294-5357 e-mail: celt@iastate.edu www.celt.iastate.edu

4. MORRILL HALL

5. CELT Vision • CELT’s vision is to position Iowa State University at the forefront of learning and teaching among land-grant universities.

6. CELT Mission • The mission of CELT is to support, promote, and enhance teaching effectiveness and student learning; encourage scholarship of teaching and learning; communicate the importance of teaching and learning to both internal and external audiences; and serve as a catalyst for learning-centered education.

7. To accomplish this goal, CELT… • Provides Programming to support, promote and enhance teaching effectiveness and student learning. • Provides Professional Development opportunities for faculty, instructors, graduates students, and post-docs. • Provides campus leadership in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). • Administers ISU’s Preparing Future Faculty (PFF) Program • Administers ISUComm. • Provides support for the appropriate use of Learning Technology in enhancing university teaching and learning. • Engages in extensive collaborative interaction with a variety of campus organizations and groups on a regular basis. • Communicates the importance of teaching and learning to external audiences.

8. CELT Programs and Activities • Programming • Preparing Future Faculty • Learning Technologies • Grants and Fellowships • Conferences and Retreats • Consultation • Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

9. Programming • CELT offers a variety of events for instructors each semester, including workshops, forums, reading circles, and faculty and graduate student learning communities. CELT also works with colleges and departmentson programming tailored to their needs.

10. Preparing Future Faculty • The PFF program supplements departmental graduate preparation by offering new teaching, mentoring, and learning opportunities to better prepare graduates for faculty careers through a combination of seminars,mentoring, and practical classroom and departmental service.

11. Learning Technologies • CELT endeavors to ensure that use of technology for teaching and learning is both appropriate and effective. CELT Learning Technologies staff offer individual consultation, seminars, workshops, and collaborative assistance for course and learning activity design, as well as development of and support for university-wide e-learning systems.

12. Grants and Fellowships • CELT manages fellowshipsto support the improvement of undergraduate education and the scholarship of teaching in learning. CELT also supports departmental initiatives related to enhancing teaching and learning, building community, and encouraging conversation and discussion about teaching and learning among departmental faculty.

13. Conferences and Retreats • New Faculty Orientation & University Teaching Seminar • ISU Wakonse Fellows—exemplary teachers, who inspire others to enrich their own teaching—participate in the annual national Wakonse Conference on College Teaching.

14. Consultation • CELT faculty and staff are available for confidential one-on-one consultation to help faculty improve their teaching and their students’ learning. This may also include visiting their class to provide “non-peer”evaluation of teaching.

15. Scholarship ofTeaching and Learning • The scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) involves inquiry into teaching, engagement, feedback, and reflection on teaching and learning—and sharing results so others can review, critique, and build on the work. CELT provides guidance on how to conduct SoTL.

16. Importance of SoTL • How do we know that our students are meeting our desired outcomes and truly learning the material? • Accountability • Student outcomes assessment • Accreditation requirements

17. Scholarship ofTeaching and Learning • Occurs when “our work as teachers becomes public, peer-reviewed and critiqued, and exchanged with other members of our professional communities so they, in turn, can build on our work. These are qualities of all scholarship.” • Lee Shulman, PresidentCarnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

18. Preparation of Future Engineers/Technologists • Disciplinary innovation must be matched with educational innovation • Engineers/Technologists will need • Technical expertise • Global vision • Communication skills • Ability to work in multifunctional, multidisciplinary, multicultural teams

19. Engineering/Technology Faculty • Cannot be experts in everything • Just as we partner with other researchers to solve today’s complex problems • We can partner with others to help improve student learning as we prepare the next generation of engineers and technologists

20. CELT Resources • CELT Library • Teaching at ISU Newsletter • News and Tips • CELT Online (www.celt.iastate.edu) • eLearning website (www.celt.iastate.edu/elearning/)

21. Questions/Discussion