Engineering Education A Conceptual Framework For Supporting Faculty In Adopting Collaborative Learning

Over the last three years, nearly a quarter of Bucknell’s engineering faculty have participated in Project Catalyst, a NSF funded project to promote systemic change in engineering education by integrating instructional design techniques, transforming the classroom into a cooperative learning environment, and incorporating the use of information technology in the teaching/learning process. One of the major outcomes of that work is a conceptual framework for assisting faculty in transitioning from more traditional instructional modes to more collaborative modes of instruction. Drawing heavily on a typical engineering process, this framework maps concepts readily understood in the engineering design world to the development of instructional experiences. This paper outlines that framework and discusses our efforts to export this framework to faculty beyond Bucknell through a pair of national workshops conducted last summer. Included is our assessment of the effectiveness of this effort, both in terms of impact on Bucknell faculty and on the workshop participants.