Reflective Teaching In A Digital Age

Educational technology can provide opportunities for creative problem solving where users can build projects that are meaningful to them. Using technology as a tool for expressing one’s ideas is a powerful approach for helping learners become digital creators rather than just consumers. In this conversation, Dr. Natalie Rusk shares reflections about her work on the Scratch programming language, the Computer Clubhouse, and most recently the OctoStudio mobile program.Bio:Natalie Rusk, PhD, is a Research Scientist at the MIT Media Lab and is one of the lead creators of the Scratch programming language and the Computer Clubhouse after-school program. She currently leads the development of OctoStudio, a new mobile app that makes creating with code more accessible for children, families, and educators around the world. Her research focuses on young people’s interests as motivate learning. She is lead author of the Scratch Coding Cards and editor of the book, Start Making! A Guide to Engaging Young People in Maker Activities. She earned a PhD in child development from Tufts University and a Master's in Technology in Education from Harvard Graduate School of Education. 

Making a positive impact on the community through project-based work provides students with valuable experience in developing conceptual knowledge in science and engineering as well as building important experience in teamwork competencies. In this conversation, Bill shares his extensive knowledge in building engaging STEAM learning environments and ways of helping students learn to identify problems and solutions relevant to their community through the engineering design process.Bio:Bill Church works at the intersection of creativity, education, and the STEAM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math). He is a lifelong maker and former public school physics teacher with academic training in science, engineering, and education. Bill has used computer science, engineering design challenges, inquiry, and technology toolsets in education settings for over twenty five years.  Bill has presented his work on project-based learning at many national and international conferences and co-authored a book of classroom activities entitled, Physics with Robotics.  In 2013, Bill founded White Mountain Science, a non-profit STEM outreach and curriculum development organization in Northern New Hampshire.  Currently, Bill is starting a new venture focused on connecting the public with research in Climate STEM topics. Bill and the WMSI team are regular collaborators with STEM education innovators near and far.

Engineering design is a technical as well as a social process. Developing an awareness of factors affecting groups’ dynamics during the decision-making process can help improve team-based engineering experiences. In this conversation, Drs. Robin Fowler and Trevion Henderson share their research and practical knowledge about ways of supporting equitable collaboration among students who identify with historically marginalized groups.Bios:Dr. Robin Fowler is a Teaching Professor in Technical Communication and an Engineering Education researcher at the University of Michigan. Her teaching is primarily in team-based engineering courses, and her research focuses on equity in communication and collaboration as well as in group design decision making (judgment) under uncertainty. She is especially interested in how power relationships and rhetorical strategies affect group judgment in engineering design; one goal of this work is to understand factors that inhibit full participation of students who identify with historically marginalized groups and investigate evidence-based strategies for mitigating these inequities. In addition, she is interested in technology and how specific affordances can change the ways we collaborate, learn, read, and write. Teaching engineering communication allows her to apply this work as she coaches students through collaboration, design thinking, and design communication. She is part of a team of faculty innovators who originated Tandem (tandem.ai.umich.edu), a tool designed to help facilitate equitable and inclusive teamwork environments.Dr. Trevion Henderson (he/him/his) is an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Tufts University. He earned his Ph.D. in Higher Education from the University of Michigan, as well as his M.A. in Higher Education and Student Affairs and his B.S. in Computer Science and Engineering from The Ohio State University. Dr. Henderson holds secondary appointments in the STEM Education program in the Department of Education, and he serves on Steering Committee for the Institute for Research on Learning and Instruction (IRLI) at Tufts University. Dr. Henderson’s research is broadly concerned with how students’ in- and out-of-classroom experiences affect their learning, focusing particularly on the ways that students’ socio-academic relationships shapes their learning in engineering education. Dr. Henderson uses both qualitative and quantitative methodological approaches to student the interactional dynamics that shape students’ learning, focusing particularly on teamwork 

Early exposure to science and engineering is really important for engaging in and following a career in STEM fields. Students need to see from a younger age what influence science and engineering have on society and have various opportunities to participate in STEM activities. In this conversation, Dr. Regina Ragan discusses ways of explaining complex topics from the material science discipline to K-12 students through her outreach research efforts.Bio:Professor Regina Ragan’s interdisciplinary research activities involve self-assembly of nanomaterials with control on molecular length scales and integration of nanomaterials in compact devices.  She has produced optical sensors with record performance and developed machine learning algorithms for automated data analysis for ease of use. This has led to the demonstration of rapid antibiotic susceptibility tests to provide new technology for prescribing appropriate antibiotic therapy to combat the emergence of antimicrobial resistant bacteria. She has also demonstrated sensors to detect and quantify concentration of metal contaminants in water below the U.S Environmental Protection agency limits.  This is promising to longitudinally monitor water quality as water is the main source of exposure of toxicants to people and animals.  She promoted inclusive excellence in diversity in the Samueli School of Engineering (SSoE) at all levels. As a first generation, Mexican-American UCLA undergraduate alumna and UC faculty member, she understands how foreign the academic environment can feel for non-traditional students and faculty. Thus, her efforts have included establishing mentoring programs from the undergraduate to faculty level in order to make UC Irvine an environment where diverse students and faculty can excel. Prof. Ragan works closely with the Schools’ Stacey Nicholas Office of Access & Inclusion where she assists in developing educational modules for K-12 students, mentors undergraduate and graduate students, and developing partnerships between UC Irvine and the community.  

Reflecting on ways to support underrepresented engineering undergraduate students participating in the NSF S-STEM grant highlights the value of human connection and appropriate mentorship. In this episode, Dr. Aidsa Santiago talks to us about the importance of designing effective educational experiences that directly relate to students needs, making learning more meaningful, and helping students increase their identity with engineering profession.Bio:Dr. Aidsa I. Santiago Roman currently holds a Full Professor position and is the Chair at the Department of Engineering Sciences and Materials, University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez. Her research interests are in Outreach Initiatives, Curriculum and Course Development, Educational Assessment and Cognitive Learning, specifically with Hispanic students. She’s also the advisor of the UPRM’s ASEE Student Chapter. She has been recognized for her excellence in teaching and her leadership locally and nationally.

Supporting active engagement in STEM disciplines is a challenging task that relies on thoughtful educational programming to build environments where students can become leaders of their learning. In this episode, Jake Foster shares with us his knowledge and expertise in the areas of project-based, collaborative, and technology-supported learning, and discusses ways that his company, STEM Learning Design, LLC, is helping educators and school administrators to develop a comprehensive approach to facilitate active learning.Reference(s) mentioned in this episode:STEM Learning Design resources https://stemlearningdesign.com/resources/ NGSS Phenomena: https://www.ngssphenomena.com/National Academies Elementary Science Report: https://www.nationalacademies.org/our-work/enhancing-science-in-prekindergarten-through-fifth-grade Citizen Science: https://www.citizenscience.gov/#Technology-based modeling, simulation, and visualization tools, such as provided by:          Concord Consortium: https://learn.concord.org/           Open Space: https://www.openspaceproject.com/ Remote labs: https://circlcenter.org/remote-labs/ WADE Institute: https://www.wadeinstitutema.org/Beyond Benign: https://www.beyondbenign.org/ “Cultural Responsiveness and Mathematical Practices” by Jen Munson, Geetha Lakshminarayanan, and Thomas Rodney in Mathematics Teacher: Learning & Teaching PK-12, October 2022 (Vol. 115, #10, pp. 698-706)Bio:Jake founded STEM Learning Design to support innovative program design and powerful student learning experiences. He partners with districts and organizations to redesign school programming and learning space design, with a particular focus on STEM education. Jake began his 25-year career in STEM education teaching high school science, then supporting others as a middle school coach and teacher educator. As past STEM leader for the Massachusetts Department of Education, Jake engaged for more than a decade in education policy, STEM programming, curriculum development, professional development, school support, and strategies for systemic change. He was a lead facilitator of the Massachusetts standards for Science and Technology/Engineering, Mathematics, and Digital Literacy and Computer Science. Jake was a member of the Next Generation Science Standards writing team, and Massachusetts’ representative for the NGSS development process collaborating with 22 other states. 

Helping engineering instructors become aware of the Hidden Curriculum is an important pedagogical step toward building learning environments that support diversity and belonging. Dr. Idalis Villanueva Alarcón talks to us about practical ways of increasing awareness and recognition of hidden messages in the classroom and help mentor and professionally develop students in engineering.Reference(s) mentioned in this episode:1.       I. Villanueva, T. Carothers, M. Di Stefano, & M.T.H. Khan. (2018). “There is never a break”: The hidden curriculum of professionalization for engineering faculty. Education Sciences, 8 (4), 157: doi.org/10.3390/educsci8040157. p.1-21.2.       I. Villanueva, M. Di Stefano, L. Gelles, K. Youmans, & A. Hunt. (2020). Development and Assessment of a Vignette Survey Instrument to Identify Responses due to Hidden Curriculum among Engineering Students and Faculty. International Journal of Engineering Education, 36(5), p. 1549–1569.3.       R.J. Downey & I. Villanueva Alarcón. (2022). Reading the world of engineering education: An exploration of active and passive hidden curriculum awareness. American Society of Engineering Education, Liberal Education, Engineering & Society Division, St. Paul, Minneapolis, MN, June 26-29, 2022, Paper ID 37254, p. 1-12.4.       I.Villanueva Alarcón & C. Elizabeth Sunny & (2022). Engineering students’ conceptions of the hidden curriculum in different institution types: A comparative study. American Society of Engineering Education, Minorities in Engineering Division, St. Paul, Minneapolis, MN, June 26-29, 2022, Paper ID 36562, p. 1-17.5.       V. Sellers & I. Villanueva. (2021). What strategies do diverse women in engineering use to cope with situational hidden curriculum? Proceedings of the American Society of Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition (virtual), Women in Engineering Division, Long Beach, CA, June 27-30, 2021, Paper ID #32762, p. 1-16.6.       L. Gelles, K. Youmans, & I. Villanueva. (2019). Sparking Action: How Emotions Fuel or Inhibit Advocacy around Hidden Curriculum in Engineering, European Society of Engineering Education (SEFI), Budapest, Hungary, September 16-19, 2019, p.1-10.7.       I. Villanueva, M. Di Stefano, L. Gelles, & K. Youmans. (2018). Hidden curriculum awareness: a qualitative comparison of engineering faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates. World Engineering Education Forum, November 12-16, 2018, Albuquerque, NM. p.1-6.Bio:Dr. Villanueva Alarcón is an Associate Professor of Engineering Education in the University of Florida. In 2019, she received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) award for her NSF CAREER project on hidden curriculum in engineering. She has a B.S. degree is in Chemical Engineering from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez and a M.S. and Ph.D. degree in Chemical and Biological Engineering from the University of Colorado-Boulder. Also, she completed her postdoctoral fellowship from the National Institutes of Health in Analytical Cell Biology in Bethesda, Maryland and worked as a lecturer for 2 years before transitioning to a tenure-track in engineering education. Her experiences as a first-generation engineer, Latinx, woman of color, introvert, and mother has shaped the lens and approaches that she uses in her research and practice. She hopes her work will not only challenge normative ways of knowing but also challenge new ways of research scholarship and practice.

Understanding ways of integrating equity and inclusion into learning and working environments is important for successful collaboration where participants feel valued for their contributions. In this episode Dr. talks about inclusive teamwork, an Inclusive Leadership Development Model, and building climates where every person feels like they belong.Reference(s) mentioned in this episode:https://engineerinclusion.com/meagan-pollock/https://engineerinclusion.com/inclusive-leadership-development/Bio:Dr. Meagan Pollock began her career playing with light projection on tiny microscopic mirrors as an engineer for Texas Instruments. Through her company, Engineer Inclusion, she now utilizes metaphorical projectors and mirrors to shine a light on micro and macro social systems that, when adjusted, improve student and employee success in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. A TEDx speaker, author, and a past recipient of the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, Meagan holds a PhD in engineering education from Purdue University, an MS in electrical engineering from Texas Tech University, and a BS in computer science from Texas Woman’s University. As an engineer turned educator, Meagan focuses on helping others intentionally engineer inclusion™ in education and the workforce.

Helping engineering students develop an ethical mindset as part of their professional preparation is a complex endeavor that requires thoughtful approaches to curriculum development and teaching. In this episode Dr. Qin Zhu talks to us about practical ways of teaching about ethics in engineering classes and developing relevant assessments of student learning as part of engineering education.Reference(s) mentioned in this episode:Online Ethics Center for Engineering and Science: https://onlineethics.org/Bio:Dr. Zhu is Associate Professor in the Department of Engineering Education and Affiliate Faculty in the Department of Science, Technology & Society and the Center for Human-Computer Interaction at Virginia Tech. Dr. Zhu is also serving as Associate Editor for Science and Engineering Ethics, Associate Editor for Studies in Engineering Education, Editor for International Perspectives at the Online Ethics Center for Engineering and Science, and Executive Committee Member of the International Society for Ethics Across the Curriculum. Dr. Zhu's research interests include engineering ethics, global and international engineering education, engineering cultures, and the ethics of human-robot interaction and artificial intelligence.

Introducing engineering students to systems thinking early in their education is critical for their development and learning success. In this episode Dr. Rea Lavi talks to us about the System  Architecture-Function-Outcome (SAFO) framework he developed to help foster systems thinking in undergraduate students. He explains how this framework can be integrated in engineering teaching and used to assess systems thinking in first year engineering students.Reference(s) mentioned in this episode:Articles in peer-reviewed journals: Aubrecht, K. B., Dori, Y. J., Holme, T. A., Lavi, R., Matlin, S., Orgill, M., & Skaza-Acosta, H. (2019). Graphical tools for conceptualizing systems thinking in chemistry education. Journal of Chemical Education, 96(12), 2888-2900. Lavi, R., Dori, Y. J., Wengrowicz, N., & Dori, D. (2019). Model-based systems thinking: Assessing engineering student teams. IEEE Transactions on Education, 63(1), 39-47.Lavi, R., Dori, Y. J., & Dori, D. (2021). Assessing novelty and systems thinking in conceptual models of technological systems. IEEE Transactions on Education, 64(2), 155-162. York, S., Lavi, R., Dori, Y. J., & Orgill, M. (2019). Applications of systems thinking in STEM Education. Journal of Chemical Education, 96(12), 2742-2751. Lavi, R., Breslow, L., Salek, M. M., & Crawley, E. F. (2022, Submitted). Fostering and assessing the systems thinking of first-year undergraduate engineering students using the System Architecture-Function-Purpose framework. Other works: Presentation: Teaching and Assessing Systems Thinking in First-year Engineering Education Download link: shorturl.at/cmRUY LinkedIn article: A Cost-Effective Methodology for Tackling Ill-Defined Problems: A Case Study in an Undergraduate Project-Based Course https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/cost-effective-methodology-tackling-ill-defined-problems-rea-lavi/ResearchGate discussion: Are creative thinking and systems thinking related? https://www.researchgate.net/post/Are_creative_thinking_and_systems_thinking_relatedBio:Dr. Rea Lavi is Lecturer and a Curriculum Designer with the New Engineering Education Transformation (NEET) undergraduate program in the School of Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA, where he leads the integration of 21st century skills into the program curriculum. In 2021, he received an award from the d’Arbeloff Fund for Excellence in Education to develop and teach a new undergraduate course at MIT School of Engineering, ‘22.s092 - Tackling Challenges in Climate and Sustainability with Ways of Thinking’.Dr. Lavi received his Ph.D. in 2019 from the Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Technion—Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel. His research interests in STEM higher education involve the fostering and assessment of systems thinking and creative thinking within the context of complex problem-solving. His doctoral research received several awards, including the Zeff Fellowship for Excelling First-year Ph.D. Students and the Miriam and Aaron Gutwirth Fellowship for Excelling Ph.D. Students. Rea’s method for structured creative problem-solving, SNAP Method®, is trademarked in both the US and UK. From 2009–2013, he was involved in the founding and initial funding rounds of a biotech startup, 

Teaching about diversity in engineering can present challenges to instructors as many do not have sufficient training on the subject and materials to include in classroom assignments. In this conversation, Dr. Natascha Trellinger Buswell shares her insights about ways of talking about diversity and inclusion with engineering students and provides practical examples of relevant classroom activities.Bio:Dr. Natascha Trellinger Buswell is an Assistant Professor of Teaching in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of California, Irvine. She earned her B.S. in aerospace engineering at Syracuse University and her Ph.D. in engineering education at Purdue University. Her research focuses on many elements of teaching; pathways to teaching careers, teaching experiences from both the students' and instructors' perspectives, and ways to make teaching more inclusive of diverse students. 

Effective design for multi-modal learning experiences is a complex process that requires a variety of considerations including content and resource accessibility, equivalent learning outcomes, and instructional workload management.In this conversation, Dr. Brian Beatty discusses the core principles of the Hybrid-Flexible or HyFlex Learning Model. He shares his knowledge about ways to successfully design a HyFlex classroom where students can choose what mode of learning works better for them and engage in building a learning community through in person, remote synchronous or asynchronous modes of participation.Reference(s) mentioned in this episode:Hyflex Learning Community - www.hyflexlearning.org Hybrid-Flexible Course Design online book - https://edtechbooks.org/hyflexBio:Dr. Brian Beatty is Associate Professor of Instructional Technologies in the Department of Equity, Leadership Studies and Instructional Technologies at San Francisco State University. Brian’s primary areas of interest and research include social interaction in online learning, flipped classroom implementation, and developing instructional design theory for Hybrid-Flexible learning environments. At SFSU, Dr. Beatty pioneered the development and evaluation of the HyFlex course design model for blended learning environments, implementing a “student-directed-hybrid” approach to better support student learning.

An educational approach that is based on the idea that kids are competent and can be in charge of their own learning opens opportunities for creative activities that support exploration, problem-solving, and teamwork. In this conversation, Barbara Bratzel, shares her reflections and practical advice about supporting students’ learning and progress through a project-based learning model and development of positive mindset thinking.  Bio:Barbara Bratzel is a K-8 STEM teacher who teaches at the Shady Hill School in Cambridge Massachusetts. She also consults at the Center for Engineering and Education Outreach at Tufts University. She is the author of several robotics books, including Getting Started with LEGO Robotics: a User’s Guide written with Rob Torok, to be published by No Starch Press in Spring 2022. 

When designing a blended learning class instructors are faced with many decisions about teaching modalities, use of technology, relevant learning activities, and assessment methods. In this episode Dr. Norm Vaughn talks to us about the history and core principles of blended learning, ways to design synchronous and asynchronous learning experiences as well as integration of meaningful feedback to support student engagement and learning.Bio:An educator and researcher with interests in blended learning, faculty development and K to 12 schooling, Dr. Norm Vaughan is a Professor in the Department of Education, Faculty of Health, Community, Education at Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta.Norm's teaching background includes graduate and undergraduate courses in educational technology, K-12 education in northern Canada, technical training in the petroleum industry, and English as a Second Language in Japan. In addition, he has been involved in several consulting projects with book publishers and higher education institutions to develop online courses and resources. He has co-authored the books Teaching in Blended Learning Environments: Creating and Sustaining Communities of Inquiry (2013) and Blended Learning in Higher Education (2008) and he has published a series of articles on blended learning and faculty development.  Norm is the Co-founder of the Blended Online Design Network (BOLD), a member of the Community of Inquiry Research Group, the Associate Editor of the International Journal of Mobile and Blended Learning and he is on the Editorial Boards of the International Journal of Excellence in e-Learning, Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology, the International Journal of E-Learning & Distance Education,  the Journal on Centers for Teaching & Learning, Journal of Interactive Online Learning, and the Learning Communities Journal. 

Engaging STEM students early in solving complex problems that better their communities not only helps to prepare them for the future professional environment, but also positively impacts their motivation by making their work meaningful and impactful. Dr. Ellis shares her reflections about student engagement in the learning process from years of experience teaching online software engineering classes, as well as her research that explores student learning via participation in a humanitarian, open-source project.Reference(s) mentioned in this episode:Web site that supports the research effort: foss2serve.orgSupporting student involvement in open source projects: teachingopensource.orgBio:Dr. Ellis is Professor of Computer Science and Information Technology at Western New England University.  Her research interests include software engineering education and learning in open source software projects. Dr. Ellis is one of the founding members of the Humanitarian Free and Open Source Software project which focuses on involving students in open source projects that improve the human condition. She has been involving students in HFOSS projects since 2006 and she has been PI on five NSF projects related to student learning in HFOSS. Heidi has been active in computing education for the past 20 years and has multiple publications related to involving students in HFOSS projects.

Using a contextualized approach for assessment and evaluation of engineering classes is integral for supporting student progress. In this episode Dr. Kerrie Douglas talks to us about the evaluation criteria necessary for providing meaningful feedback to instructors on student engagement, as well as the importance of rethinking ways to design effective learning experiences for in person and online learning.Bio:Dr. Kerrie Douglas, Assistant Professor of Engineering Education at Purdue, studies how to improve the quality of classroom assessments and evaluation of online learning in a variety of engineering education contexts. She holds a PhD in Educational Psychology and a M.A. in Educational Studies, with focus on school counseling. She received an NSF award to study engineering instructor decisions and student support during COVID-19 and impact the pandemic is having on engineering students. She also recently won the prestigious CAREER award from the U.S. National Science Foundation to study increasing the fairness of engineering assessments. In total, she has been on the leadership of more than $24 million dollars in research awards. Her research on evaluation of online learning (supported by two NSF awards #1544259,1935683) has resulted in more than 20 peer-reviewed conference and journal publications related to engineering learners in online courses. She was a FutureLearn Research Fellow from 2017-2019; a 2018 recipient of the FIE New Faculty Fellow Award and was the 2021 Program Chair for the Educational Research Methods Division of ASEE.

For many instructors making decisions about what content must be emphasized, what needs to be assessed, and how to design activities that maximize learning is a challenging task, regardless of the mode of teaching. In this episode, Drs. Ruth Streveler and Karl Smith who collaborated on writing an opinion piece on their CAP framework share with us a way of thinking about redesigning off and online learning environments using the CAP framework as a guiding model of instructional approach. Bios:Dr. Ruth A. Streveler is a Professor in the School of Engineering Education at Purdue University. Dr. Streveler has been the Principle Investigator or co-Principle Investigator of ten grants funded by the US National Science Foundation. She is an Associated Editor for the Journal of Engineering Education (JEE), has published articles in the JEE and the International Journal of Engineering Education, and contributed two chapters to the Cambridge Handbook of Engineering Education Research. She has presented workshops to over 500 engineering faculty on four continents. Dr. Streveler’s primary research interests are investigating students’ understanding of difficult concepts in engineering science and helping engineering faculty conduct rigorous research in engineering education.Dr. Karl A. Smith is Cooperative Learning Professor of Engineering Education, School of Engineering Education, at Purdue University. He is also Morse-Alumni Distinguished University Teaching Professor and Emeritus Professor of Civil, Environmental, and Geo- Engineering at the University of Minnesota. His research and development interests include building research and innovation capabilities in engineering education; faculty and graduate student professional development; the role of cooperation in learning and design; problem formulation and modeling; and project and knowledge management. Karl adapted the cooperative learning model to engineering education. His work on cooperative learning has helped thousands of faculty build knowledge, skills and confidence for involving their students in interactive and cooperative learning both during class time and outside of class.  The effects of the work are significant in terms of creating a sense of belonging and membership in a community, as well as much more engaged and deep learning. 

Learning how to work together to accomplish shared goals is at the center of the engineering design process. The cooperative learning model, adapted to engineering education by Dr. Karl Smith, offers a powerful interactive educational approach that emphasizes interdependence and accountability. Dr. Smith shares with us the theoretical background of the cooperative learning model, unpacks its core elements, and discusses practical applications of this model in large engineering classrooms.Bio:Dr. Karl A. Smith is Cooperative Learning Professor of Engineering Education, School of Engineering Education, at Purdue University. He is also Morse-Alumni Distinguished University Teaching Professor and Emeritus Professor of Civil, Environmental, and Geo- Engineering at the University of Minnesota. His research and development interests include building research and innovation capabilities in engineering education; faculty and graduate student professional development; the role of cooperation in learning and design; problem formulation and modeling; and project and knowledge management. Karl adapted the cooperative learning model to engineering education. His work on cooperative learning has helped thousands of faculty build knowledge, skills and confidence for involving their students in interactive and cooperative learning both during class time and outside of class.  The effects of the work are significant in terms of creating a sense of belonging and membership in a community, as well as much more engaged and deep learning.  

Teamwork facilitation in engineering classes, where students must collaboratively develop a solution to complex, open-ended problems, is uniquely challenging. The role of the instructor extends from supporting students in the development of necessary technical knowledge and skills to helping teams figure out their collaborative workflow processes. Dr. Nies talks to us about his extensive teaching experience facilitating teamwork in large engineering classes – in person and online, provides reflections about the value of social bonding and trust building among team members, as well as practical advice on team formation, conflict resolution and student engagement in the learning process.Bio:Dr. Larry Nies is a professor at Purdue university with appointments in Civil Engineering and Environmental and Ecological Engineering. He has been teaching Sustainable Engineering courses at Purdue since founding them in 2002. He is a licensed Professional Engineer with research interests spanning across macro-scale human systems down to nano-scale molecular processes. More recently, he has been researching how to transform industrial and urban systems toward a sustainable trajectory, primarily through water and carbon footprint assessment.Dr. Nies has been recognized numerous times for his outstanding achievements in engineering teaching and counseling by various groups including Purdue University, the Society of Environmental and Ecological Engineering (SEEE), and the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists. Today our discussion is focused on his long running work to support engineering project teams in undergraduate classrooms.

Opportunities and limitations presented by leveraging multiple modalities of teaching provide a point of reflection for how to build an effective learning environment that addresses diverse needs of learners. In this conversation, Dr. Brent Jesiek shares his insights about approaches to assessment (online and offline), accessibility issues, finding ways to better connect school learning to workplace learning, and building trust with students.Bio:Dr. Brent Jesiek  is a professor at Purdue university with appointments in Engineering education and electrical and computer engineering. Prof. Jesiek draws on expertise from engineering, computing, and the social sciences to investigate geographic, disciplinary, and historical variations in engineering education and professional practice. His current research portfolio includes studies focused on global competency and boundary spanning in engineering practice, perceptions of ethics and social responsibility among undergraduate engineering students, and the history of electrical and computer engineering education. He primarily identifies with qualitative research traditions, but has also carried out studies using quantitative and mixed methods approaches.