Adapting and Implementing the SCALE-UP Approach in Statics, Dynamics, and Multivariate Calculus

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

(59-Engineering:Other) A multidisciplinary team of faculty at Clemson is working to deliver more effective Statics and Dynamics instruction. Their work builds particularly ontwo other NSF-funded projects. The project is developing cooperative learningactivities that are complementary to those developed through Statics: The NextGeneration and delivering them using the Student-Centered Activities for LargeEnrollment University Programs (SCALE-UP) model, teaching large studio classeswhere the primary emphasis is on learning by guided inquiry instead of bylistening. The present lecture approach is being revised significantly and thetwo sequential courses are being integrated according to the needs of students inmechanical engineering and civil engineering. A partnership to include learningexercises from multivariate calculus is helping students transfer knowledge anddevelop a more robust understanding of the course content. Improvements in student learning is being measured in terms of normalized gain on existing conceptual tests. Faculty development activities, including workshops and mentoring, are nurturing a cadre of faculty who are learning to design and implement cooperative learningactivities. The mentoring of faculty in large-enrollment classes is helpingexpand the use of these teaching methods throughout the curriculum, and thematerials developed in this project are applicable to statics and dynamicscourses at other universities.