Student Perceptions of High Course Workloads are Not Associated with Poor Student Evaluations of Instructor Performance

Many engineering faculty believe that when students perceive a course to have a high workload, students will rate the course and the performance of the course instructor poorly. This belief can be particularly worrying to engineering faculty since engineering courses are often perceived as uniquely demanding. The present investigation demonstrated that student ratings of workload and of overall instructor performance in engineering courses were not correlated (e.g., Spearman's rho = 0.068) in data sets from either of two institutions. In contrast, a number of evaluation items were strongly correlated (Spearman's rho = 0.7 to 0.899) with ratings of overall instructor performance across engineering, mathematics and science, and humanities courses. The results of the present study provide motivation for faculty seeking to improve their teaching and course evaluations to focus on teaching methods, organization/preparation, and interactions with students, rather than course workload.     

新形势下高校《食品添加剂》课程思政教学改革研究

目的 为适应新时代中国特色社会主义对思政教育课程高水平发展与高素质人才的培养要求，极有必要以专业知识为载体，以课堂教学为媒介，开展课程思政教学改革研究。方法 在介绍课程思政建设背景的基础上，提出基于“三位一体”培养理念，开展集知识、能力、素质并进的知识–能力–素质（Knowledge-Ability-Quality,KAQ）思政育人培养模式。同时，结合凝练课程思政元素、党史故事融入课程教学，以问题为导向的启发式在线教学设计，丰富课堂授课与教学手段，改革课程考评体系等，并采用问卷调查结合学生访谈的形式改进教学方式。结果 92.0%的调查对象认为《食品添加剂》课程分值比例分配合理，并有96.8%受访者对教学模式表示赞同，可见教学改革已得到选课学生的普遍认可。结论 在《食品添加剂》课程教学过程中融入文化自信、求实创新、诚信与职业道德教育等案例内容，充分发挥课程思政对当代大学生的育人作用，实现专业教育与品德修养共同提高。     

新文科视域下设计实践类课程的分段建设

围绕新文科背景下综合类课程的搭建与完善,指出作为跨领域综合型的设计实践类课程要强调学生从实践体验中发现问题、分析问题、解决问题。根据学生不同的社会认知与设计认知将学生分为低、中、高三个学段,并通过细化解构设计实践类课程的方法,根据学科特点和各学段学生的学习需求来分解课程,将课程进行分段建设,以此成为设计实践类课程的教学方法与执行秩序。从顺应学科特点和学生认知与需求变化两个方面论述了设计实践类课程进行分段建设的必要性,并充分应用在三个学段的实践教学中,通过深耕学生学习需求变化和细化课程内容来探索设计实践类课程分段建设的方法,为服务于设计类专业的新文科人才培养探索新途径。     

融合国际前沿进展的《现代食品检测技术》教学研究

目的多种现代高新技术的兴起推动了食品品质检测领域的理论与技术发展,同时也需对课程教学进行针对性的改进。方法在《现代食品检测技术》本科课程中引入国际前沿进展内容,作为传统教材内容的有益补充,重点对"食品检测领域智能包装一体化同位检测技术与多信息终端智能化分析技术"进行有效的教学尝试,在研究背景、方案设计、样品处理与实验分析等环节进行深入浅出的教学,并通过多元化的考核方式巩固教学成果。结果目前已实现300人次以上的课程教学,受教育者在本科和后继研究生阶段学习中可获得明显受益。结论这种融合法教学尝试获得了广泛主观好评,且在客观上促进了教学质量提升,有效提升了学生后继学习和科研能力。     

Something Old,Something New: Integrating Engineering Practice into the Teaching of Engineering Mechanics

This paper presents a multifaceted method for teaching engineering mechanics designed to satisfy the following set of desiderata: (1) integrate engineering practice into the teaching of engineering science; (2) address a wide set of learning styles; (3) provide opportunities for practice in group work and learning; (4) promote communication and synthesizing skills; (5) engage students in the teaching and learning process; (6) maintain traditional achievement levels with respect to traditional measures; (7) motivate students to continue their engineering studies; and (8) maintain reasonable resource demands. Consistent with this variety of objectives, the approach presented here is composed of a variety of ingredients. In addition to the standard homework problems and exams, these ingredients include design projects, group work, basic competency exams, computational environments for simulating and visualizing phenomena, multimedia instructional tools, hands-on experiences, and student presentations. This educational model is intended to be suitable for teaching engineering mechanics in general, but this paper focuses on a particular sophomore-level mechanics of materials course in which the method has been implemented, refined over several years of classroom use, and tested relative to traditional approaches. The paper describes the and techniques that together make up the method, followed by summaries of the results of evaluations that have been applied to the course.     

基于“智慧树”平台的“食品添加剂”课程教学改革

目的 为加强当代高校食品类专业大学生在食品添加剂知识的教育引导,充分激发其学习主动性,使优质教学资源得到更合理的分配.方法 在介绍我国高校开展在线课程建设必要性的基础上,阐述"食品添加剂"课程的建设背景,并以"智慧树"运营服务系统为工作平台,探索如何借助网络平台开展食品科学与工程类专业选修课"食品添加剂"的在线课程建设.结果 通过梳理章节框架布局,凝练在线专题知识点,明确师生权责分配,丰富课程授课形式,合理设置评估方法,正确评估课程学习效果等方式强化了在线课程建设,提升了学生的线上学习效果.结论 在线课程建设既弥补了网络授课过程监督管理的不足,又使优质教学资源在不同高校间得到合理分配,充分调动了学生的主观能动性,培养了其发散思维和独立思考能力,提升了专业课学习效果和综合素质.     

Effects of Faculty Interaction and Feedback on Gains in Student Skills*

Previous research has identified several variables that affect students' course satisfaction and gains in learning outcomes. The purpose of this article is to provide the reader with insights about the relationships between faculty‐student interaction and students' perceptions of selected skills and attitudes. This study specifically examined the relationships between engineering faculty teaching practices, classroom climate, and students' perceptions of their gains in communication skills, problem‐solving skills, occupational awareness, and engineering competence in a curriculum emphasizing engineering design activities. Data were gathered from more than 1,500 students taking the first‐year design course offered at 19 campuses of the Penn State system over a period of two years. The results suggest that faculty interacting with and providing constructive feedback to students were significantly and positively related to students' self‐reported gains in several design and professional skills. These relationships remained after controlling for student demographic characteristics and campus location. Recommendations regarding specific teaching practices are provided.     

制图课程培养学生创新设计与实践能力的措施

针对工程制图课程如何培养学生工程图表达能力、创新设计能力及实践能力问题,提出既要重视基本理论,又要应用基本方法,以引导学生应用投影原理正确分析问题并发现有关规律。教学与工程实践结果证明了要注重基础理论的学习。提出了工程图表达应具备的基本思维方式。通过学生学习效果的调查,确定了教学难点与重点。     

Better Learning Through Curricular Design at a Reduced Cost

At Queensland University of Technology the teaching of engineering science to first year students has undergone a substantial modification in the past three years. The best aspects of on-cam-pus and distance education have been combined to produce a student-centered program, comprising comprehensive print resources, peer assisted study sessions, tutorials, computer-based exercises, a design-and-build project, and brief context-setting lectures. The paper describes the development and operation of these components of the program and how the change from formal content-driven lecturing has brought about a significant improvement in students' performance in the course. Importantly, the changes have also enabled a reduction in the cost of the course.     

关于工业设计表现技法课的教学探索

表现技法课是工业设计专业的一门专业基础课程,对于工业设计专业的学生来说,是一门非常重要的基本能力的训练课程,它涉及到设计创意的构思和表达.然而,由于学生生源背景的差异和课时的限制,要上好这门课,取得良好的效果,就必须改进教学方法和教学手段.本课程教学方法的探索运用了布鲁纳的教育思想,进行了表现技法课程的教学方法改革实践.     

Examining student rating of teaching effectiveness using FACETS

Students' evaluations of teaching staff can be considered high-stakes, as they are often used to determine promotion, reappointment, and merit pay to academics. Using Facets, the reliability and validity of one student rating questionnaire is analyzed. A total of 13,940 respondents of the Human Science Division of International Islamic University Malaysia were involved in the study. The analysis shows that the student rating questionnaire used was valid and reliable, and it allows identification of staff for the institution's prestigious teaching excellence awards, and those needing in-service training. It was found that there was no significant difference in terms of rank, age and gender of the staff. The study also shows that the majority of staff have problems keeping the class interested and getting students to participate in class activities. Faculty also hardly discussed common errors in assignments and tests.     

Renewal of a Flagging Environmental Engineering Program: Start at the Beginning

Abstract Environmental engineering is in popular demand with students and employers. Despite the demand, the environmental engineering program at the University of Missouri-Rolla (UMR) had declined in recent years. A concerted effort is now being made to improve the attractiveness and quality of UMR's program, beginning with the introductory environmental engineering course offered by the Civil Engineering Department. An experimental section of the introductory course offered in the 1994 spring semester used a semester-long design project, team exercises, field trips and imaginative demonstrations, active learning strategies, and extensive discussions of environmental engineering practice to improve student learning and interest. Results were encouraging. Students performed well and gave the course good evaluations; interest in the environmental program appears to be on the upswing.     

Integrating Professional Experience in Geotechnical Class Designs

A significant proportion of younger engineering educators engaged in teaching design oriented courses have little or no industrial experience. Thus, directions for merging professional experience with engineering science in class designs have become a chief concern in engineering educational forums. As one way to address this issue, students in a geotechnical course having both engineering science and design content presented their design projects to an audience of practicing geotechnical engineers. The results of this trial clearly revealed specific areas of a student design where professional judgment based on firsthand experience or other exposure is essential. The experiment also furnished an opportunity for industrial representatives to view the university's geotechnical curriculum and its preparation of students as future engineers. Above all, a dramatic improvement was noticed in the students' motivation to accomplish the class design projects in a successful and timely manner.     

《机械设计制图》新教学模式探究与实践

为了在有限的教学学时内进一步提高教学质量,在《机械设计制图》的教学过程中,把教学内容分为“必修”部分、“自修”部分和“选修”部分,这样可以突出重点,提高自主学习能力,分类分层次教学;为了激发学生们的学习兴趣,避免教学过程中的枯燥的“灌输式”的教学模式,采用延伸式教学法和研讨式教学法等形式多样的教学模式和教学手段;教学过程中经常遇到许多“教师难以表达,学生难以理解”的知识点,通过找到案例式教学法等适当的方法进行“深入浅出”讲述：为了让绝大多数的学生都得到规范的练〉--j,重视课堂或辅导课上测验训练;注重教学过程管理的“五统一”与“个性化”教学。     

Identifying and Removing a Calculus Prerequisite as a Bottleneck in Clemson's General Engineering Curriculum

A review of prerequisites often reveals that reasons for requiring a prerequisite may no longer prevail due to curriculum or course changes. Based on a study of a curriculum bottleneck unrelated to required mastery, the prerequisite structure in Clemson University's General Engineering curriculum (the common first‐year curriculum for all engineering students) was changed so that Calculus I could be taken in the second semester. Student record analysis shows both the magnitude of the bottleneck prior to the policy change and the effect on student enrollment practices after the policy change. Longitudinal studies show a statistically significant improvement in retention in engineering adding to the body of evidence that indicates that it is important to retention that students start college mathematics at a level for which they are prepared.     

以工程意识教育为导向的工程图学能力培养方法探析

本科阶段加强学生工程意识培养重要而紧迫,分析了现代工程意识和能力培养的主要内容,以工程图学课程为切入点探究了课程教学内容与工程意识的密切联系,基于工程意识培养的可行方案,针对不同教学环节的培养方法进行创新设计,并配套设计了工程意识实验环节,使得教学手段更为立体、方法更为多样,为培养理论基础扎实的现代工程创新人才提供了有效途径。     

Student Learning and Gender

Using a qualitative research design and an anthropological theory of learning, I studied a sophomore design class to investigate how teams of women and men student engineers acquired and shared scientific and technical knowledge while developing solutions to real-world problems for government and industry clients. The course provided a forum where women and men students not only learned technical information critical to their project, but also learned how to function as engineers on a team. The design class improved some women students' experiences, but these opportunities did not exist for all women in the class or in all settings on the campus. In spite of its notable successes, some facets of the organization of the course, its implementation by the faculty, and students' beliefs that their work was “basically useless” detracted from collaborative aims. These findings suggest classroom practices to create and maintain an environment where all students can participate and learn.     

Integrated Teaching of Experimental and Communication Skills to Undergraduate Aerospace Engineering Students

The joint teaching of an undergraduate Experimental Projects Lab and a Communications Practicum is discussed. Written and oral assignments developed, shaped, and peer reviewed as part of the communications practicum, are used to satisfy the written and oral requirements for the experimental projects subject. The joint structure serves to educate students in a variety of aspects of professional practice including solving open-ended problems, system-level integration of disciplinary coursework, project development and planning, oral and written communication, peer review, and teamwork. The paper describes the unique features of this educational strategy, and represents a progress report following a three-year experimental implementation of the new course format. Assessment of the effectiveness of the courses is presented based on student evaluations and comments from the instructors. A high level of satisfaction with this new model is expressed, suggesting that both the quality of the research performed and the students' ability to transmit an understanding of that research to others have been enhanced.     

缓冲包装材料力学课程设置探究

从适应包装专业人才知识结构和能力要求、完善包装人才培养计划和包装工程专业的相关课程体系看,"缓冲包装材料力学"应是包装工程专业一门必修专业课程.从人才培养要求和课程体系完善的角度分析了开设缓冲包装材料力学课程的必要性,确立了该课程的知识体系,详细介绍了该课程相应的知识点、实验大纲及内容,推荐了该课程的教学参考书目.按照该课程设置的要求,本研究组成员经过2a的缓冲包装材料力学课程教学实践,发现该课程教学效果较好;针对在校生和就业生从课程内容新颖性、实用性和用人单位对毕业生能力满意度等方面所进行的问卷调查表明,该课程的开设对于包装工程专业课程体系的完善、学生工程能力的提高、学生就业的便利等方面具有重要意义.     

A New “Contact-Based” First Year Engineering Course*

A new first year, engineering orientation course has been put in place at NCSU. The course stresses integration with other first year courses, writing, team building, critical thinking, disciplinary thinking, and has a strong problem-solving component. Students were randomly selected to participate in the course. Students' attitudes about engineering and the first year experience were assessed using an instrument developed at the University of Pittsburgh and compared with the normal introduction to engineering course. Students in this course were more positive about their learning experience in the first semester, reported a higher satisfaction with all their courses, and were less likely to think that the first year courses were designed to “weed” students out of the program.