Colleges and universities have implemented a broad range of initiatives to support student success. Problem solving courses and course supplements are one approach. Evaluation of these courses has shown positive outcomes in terms of improved academic performance and other benefits. A number of these studies have also reported the largest positive…

This article focuses on learner-centered pedagogical strategies that quality educators employ in their teaching. Using an interpretive phenomenological approach drawing on interviews with faculty members and students, observation of teaching, and document review, the authors examined ways that faculty members engaged students and facilitated…

Graduating approximately 150,000 engineering and engineering technology students per year, the engineering education system seeks to teach students to solve problems via analysis and design. Unfortunately, many curricula emphasize analysis at the expense of design, often relegating design activities to cornerstone and capstone design courses and…

The goal of the study is to overcome two main drawbacks of traditional science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) pedagogical strategies using PBL - lack of student engagement and students who are not prepared for more complex problems. PBL teaching strategies practiced in an introductory class are assessed. Classroom observations and…

We explored the usage of smartphones in university classrooms across three different countries from the instructor's perspective. Using a qualitative, cross-cultural approach, we interviewed 30 instructors via semi-structured interviews to understand their viewpoints and experience with student smartphone usage in class. Instructors reported…

Project-based learning (PBL) is a transformative approach to college education with the potential to develop comprehensive skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and teamwork. This study explores factors influencing the effectiveness of PBL and proposes strategies for its enhancement among Chinese college students. Utilizing the…

This study analyzed individual peer-review assessment data to understand the contributions of individual team members to in-class permanent-team outcomes, social loafing and loss of social interdependence among team members, and the achievement of team-lecture hybrid (TLH) instructional strategy learning outcomes in a team learning environment. A…

The tradition of lecturing in higher education is synonymous to teaching (Morrison, 2014). Fortunately, those in higher education today are pushing for viable alternatives such as active learning because several studies have shown the positive impact on student performance, student achievement, and other learning goals (Auerbach & Andrews,…

Engineering instructors' adoption of active learning has been slow, despite significant evidence supporting its efficacy. A common instructor concern is that students will respond negatively. This study measures the relationship between student response to instruction and 1) students' expectations for types of instruction, 2) students' experiences…

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate a teaching approach and some teaching strategies in an Informatics course for the first-year non-IT students at the Department of Informatics of Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia. The authors suggest some solutions for making the course, which is usually complicated, more dynamic and attractive,…

Background: Productive learning processes and good learning outcomes can be attained by applying the basic elements of active learning. The basic elements include fostering discussions and disputations, facing alternative conceptions, and focusing on conceptual understanding. However, in the face of poor course retention and high dropout rates,…

Despite a narrative that sees learning analytics (LA) as a field that aims to enhance student learning, few student-facing solutions have emerged. This can make it difficult for educators to imagine how data can be used in the classroom, and in turn diminishes the promise of LA as an enabler for encouraging important skills such as sense-making,…

This is an exploratory study about engaging students in mathematics learning both inside and outside of the classroom of an introductory proof course. The author utilized the framework of scholarship of teaching and learning as a guide to ensure the research process was carried out systematically. This study was conducted through one cycle of…

The flipped classroom model is an innovative educational trend that has been widely adopted in the social sciences but not engineering education. In this model, an active instructional approach shifts the educational strategy from a teacher- to a student-centred approach. The purpose of this study is to compare the learning outcomes of engineering…

The purpose of this action research was to examine the use of class time through classroom observation and student feedback. Students', the teacher's, and whole class activities during class were categorized every two minutes. Students also were given pre- and post-course surveys to assess perceptions on lecture time, impact of learning…