Collaborative Proposal: Role of Faculty in Supporting Lifelong Learning: An Investigation of Self-Directed Learning Environments in Engineering Undergraduate Classrooms

这项研究以自我决定理论为基础，将考察教师的选择如何影响与他们作为自我导向的终身学习者(SDL)发展相关的一系列学生结果。现有的研究表明，学生自主性支持与与SDL相关的结果之间存在很强的相关性，这项拟议的研究考察了三个研究问题。首先，工程教师通过哪些方式帮助学生成为自主学习者，是否有教师的做法和行为能让学生更多地参与到自己的学习中，并对自己的学习拥有更多的所有权？第二个问题是关于学生的？在本科生的工程环境中，对不同方式的行为和情感反应是支持自主的。最后，自主感对学生有什么影响？对自己的学习有什么看法？终身学习要求培养与SDL一致的能力，这些能力可能被描述为好奇、积极、反思、分析、坚持不懈、灵活和独立。他们具有信息搜索、检索和元认知意识的技能。教师通过设计和实施培养学生的课程，显然在影响与SDL相关的结果方面发挥了关键作用。从受控学习行为向自主学习行为的转变。这项研究的参与者将是四所合作大学的工程学教师和本科生。具有激励和评估专业知识的教育人员将协调混合方法评估计划。教育工作者和认证机构认识到，需要以学生为中心的学习方法，培养终身学习的能力，这对当今S工程环境的成功至关重要。目前在工程教育界的重点一直是评估学生？通过衡量与SDL相关的结果，而不是通过了解教师实践和SDL结果之间的复杂关系，实现终身学习能力。这个项目将产生广泛的影响，因为所有的工程项目都需要证明学生正在获得成为终身学习者所需的技能。通过各种机制，包括国家研讨会，广泛传播这项工作，将有助于教师专业知识的发展，有助于工程教育工作者的认识论，使能够设计更有效的教学环境，并为实施可能对不同学生群体产生直接影响的支持自主的工程课程提供一个模式。

Building from self-determination theory, this study will examine how instructor choices affect a range of student outcomes related to their development as self-directed and lifelong learners (SDL). Drawing on existing research that suggests strong correlations between student autonomy support and outcomes related to SDL, the proposed study examines three research questions. First, in what ways do engineering instructors assist students to become self-directed learners, and are there instructor practices and behaviors that lead to greater student involvement in and ownership of their own learning? The second question asks about students? behavioral and affective responses to different ways autonomy is supported in undergraduate engineering settings. Finally, what effect does a sense of autonomy have on students? perceptions of their own learning? Lifelong learning requires the development of capacities consistent with those of SDL who may be characterized as curious, motivated, reflective, analytical, persistent, flexible, and independent. They possess skills in information seeking, retrieval and metacognitive awareness. Instructors clearly play a critical role in influencing outcomes related to SDL through their design and implementation of courses that foster students? transitions from controlled to autonomous learning behaviors. Participants in this study will be engineering faculty and undergraduate students at four collaborating universities. Education faculty with expertise in motivation and assessment will coordinate the mixed method evaluation plan. The need for student-centered learning approaches that foster a capacity for lifelong learning is recognized by educators and accreditation agencies as vital for success in today?s engineering environment. The current emphasis in the engineering education community has been on assessing students? lifelong learning capacity by measuring outcomes associated with SDL, rather than on understanding the complex relationship between instructor practices and SDL outcomes. This project will have broad impact since all engineering programs are required to demonstrate that students are gaining the skills needed to be lifelong learners. Broad dissemination of the work through a variety of mechanisms, including national workshops, will aid the development of faculty expertise, contribute to the epistemology of engineering educators, enable the design of more effective teaching environments, and provide a model for implementation of autonomy-supportive engineering curricula that have the potential for direct impact on a diversity of student populations.