Exploring Engineering Faculty Experiences with COPUS: Strategies for Improving Student Learning

Few studies have examined engineering faculty use of observation protocols to evaluate teaching in the classroom including those that specifically focus on the Classroom Observation Protocol for Undergraduate STEM (COPUS). Toward this end, this ongoing pilot study explores engineering faculty’s experiences utilizing the COPUS tool. Paired faculty teams trained in the use of COPUS conducted multiple peer observations of instructors teaching both undergraduate and graduate classes within the College of Engineering at a large Midwestern research intensive institution. Upon completion of the paired faculty classroom observations, researchers conducted focus group interviews with the faculty teams to solicit feedback on their use of the COPUS instrument. Faculty teams were then interviewed individually. Preliminary data analysis generated emergent categories pertaining to instructor and student behaviors as well as observer reflections useful for ascertaining the nature and extent of the use of student-centered teaching practices in the classroom, helped facilitate discussion of potentially effective pedagogical strategies, and considered ways in which both the COPUS training and instrument could be improved for future research.