Category: Research

Feedback on Michigan Tech’s Online Teaching Training

Michelle Jarvie-Eggart
Michelle Jarvie-Eggart

Michelle Jarvie-Eggart (EF), Thomas Freeman (CTL), Janet Staker Woerner of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, PhD student Mary Benjamin (environmental engineering) and MiCUP undergraduate researcher Luis Fernandez-Arcay of Grand Valley State University surveyed the faculty who completed Michigan Tech’s online teaching training from 2019 through 2021 to determine how that training changed their approach to the design of a course, a lesson and their teaching in general.

The group’s work, published in the Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice, found that the training provided essential pedagogical and instructional design education absent in most PhD programs, resulting in self-reported improvements in both online and in-person instruction. Additionally, the experience of learning online increased faculty empathy for students.

Jarvie-Eggart, M., Freeman, T., Woerner, J. S., Benjamin, M., & Fernandez-Arcay, L. (2023). Learning to Teach Well in Any Format: Examining the Effects of Online Teachers’ Training on University Faculty Teaching. Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice, 23(2). https://doi.org/10.33423/jhetp.v23i2.5808

Report on the Systemic Changes in the First-Year Engineering Program

First Year program architecture chart.

A conference paper was published for the First Year Engineering Experience Conference (FYEE), by AJ Hamlin (EF), Amber Kemppainen (EF), Brett Hamlin (EF), Norma Veurink (CEE) and Jon Sticklen (EF).

The paper is a short report on the initial results of the 2017 roll-out of a refresh for the First-Year Engineering Program at Tech. FYEE is an offshoot of the large First-Year Programs Division of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE).

This year, 2020, papers were accepted for the compilation but there was no physical conference due to the corona-virus pandemic.

Hamlin, A. J., & Kemppainen, A., & Hamlin, B., & Veurink, N. L., & Sticklen, J. (2020, July), Three Years After Rollout: A Report on Systemic Changes in a First-Year Engineering Program Paper presented at 2020 First-Year Engineering Experience, East Lansing, Michigan. https://peer.asee.org/35780

Training Online Faculty

Michigan Canvas Users Conference graphic

Thom Freeman (CTL) and Michelle Jarvie-Eggart (EF) presented “Teaching the Teachers: A Case Study of Training for Online Faculty at Michigan Tech” at the Michigan Canvas Users Conference at Lawrence Technological University on March 6, 2020.

This presentation showcased Michigan Tech’s newly required course to teach online, ED5101, Foundations of Online Teaching. The session shared faculty’s reaction to the course as well as its surprising impact on faculty perceptions of techniques used in online learning.

ED5101 does TWO things:

  1. How to teach online: Introduces faculty to the structure and function of effective online classes, as well as online classroom management.
  2. How to design good lessons: Shows faculty how to design learning activities targeted at learning objectives, with aligned assessments.

Faculty feedback indicated one of the most valuable things they gained from the class was the ability to structure good lessons.

Michelle Jarvie-Eggart is a senior lecturer in Engineering Fundamentals and an affiliated faculty member in Cognitive and Learning Sciences.

Thom Freeman is a senior instructional designer and online learning specialist with the Michigan Tech Jackson Center for Teaching and Learning and an adjunct instructor in Cognitive and Learning Sciences.

#MiCanCon2020

Michelle Jarvie-Eggart on How to Succeed as a Freshman

Michelle Jarvie-Eggart
Michelle Jarvie-Eggart

Michelle Jarvie-Eggart, a Michigan Tech graduate and a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Engineering Fundamentals, along with environmental engineering students, Amanda Singer and Jason Mathews, discuss the transition for first year students and tools that can make the transition easier.

Jarvie-Eggart, M. E., & Singer, A. M., & Mathews, J. (2019, July), Advice from a First Year Paper presented at 2019 FYEE Conference , Penn State University , Pennsylvania. https://peer.asee.org/33674

Extract

Much attention is paid to the transition from high school to college. Students who have recently gone through this transition may have some of the best advice to offer in-coming first year students.

Themes which emerged in this study, which corroborate other research include: time management, utilizing resources, hard work, class attendance, social activates and persevering through lower grades.

First and Second Year Business and Engineering Students Collaborate in Fall Class

UN Sustainable Development GoalsFor the past two years, students in “Introduction to Business” (BUS1100) and “Engineering Modeling and Design” (ENG1102) worked on project design teams to develop innovative solutions to a challenging problem. Mary Fraley (EF) and Jon Leinonen (CoB) developed this collaborative experience with design thinking guided by Mary Raber (PHC).

The students applied design thinking steps to empathize, define, ideate, prototype and test solutions centered on the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Engineering Grand Challenges.

Students focused on topics including alternative energy, transportation, better medicine and others. The teams worked through design thinking collaboratively as was the intention for the project in addition to managing individual business and engineering tasks such as marketing plans and advertising as well as 3D modeling and hazard analysis, respectively.

To celebrate the finale of the semester-long project, design teams presented their work in a design exposition to be evaluated by faculty and staff from across campus.

Based on the judging, numerous awards will be conveyed to the project teams after the fall break. Because the design exposition occurred on the same day as the Idea Hub Open House, some design boards that exemplified the range of projects were also displayed at the open house.

By Mary Fraley.

Fraley, Raber, and Hein Present on VentureWell Grants Program

2018 ASEE

Mary Raber (Pavlis Honors College) and Mary Fraley (EF) presented: “Incorporating Design Thinking into the First-Year Engineering Curriculum” at the 125th Annual American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, June 24 – 27, 2018.

Fraley, Raber and Gretchen Hein (EF) presented: “Work-in-Progress: Entrepreneurial Mindset in First-Year Engineering Courses” at the 10th Annual First Year Engineering Experience (FYEE) Conference at Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey, July 24-26 (FYEE 2018).

The work for both papers was supported by the VentureWell Faculty Grants Program, which funds projects to “pioneer new ways to engage students in STEM innovation and entrepreneurship.”

Related:

Jarvie-Eggart and Fiss present at FYEE 2018

Mary Fraley Among the 2018 VentureWell OPEN Conference Presenters

Jarvie-Eggart and Fiss present at FYEE 2018

Michelle Jarvie-Eggart (EF) and Laura Fiss (Pavlis Honors College) are presenting the paper “Work-in-Progress: Comparing First Year Student Math and Verbal ACT Scores and Performance in Introductory Engineering and Composition Courses,” at the American Society of Engineering Education’s First Year Engineering Experience conference at Rowan University, New Jersey, July 24-26 (FYEE 2018).

The conference is hosted by the Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering at Rowan University in Glassboro. FYEE is an opportunity for academic and industry representatives to discuss and share relevant topics in the first year engineering experience. Participants include college deans, department chairs, student service professionals, advisors, faculty in engineering and engineering technology, K-12 teachers, and industry leaders from throughout the country.

FYEE 2018 Banner

Norma Veurink Receives Funding for Spatial Skills Instruction Research

Norma Veurink
Senior Lecturer Norma Veurink

Norma Veurink (EF) is the principal investigator on a project that has received a $105,975 research and development grant from the University of Cincinnati.

The project is titled “Enhancing Middle School Mathematics Achievement Through Spatial Skills Instruction.”

This is the first year of a potential three-year project totaling $222,847.

C2E2 Fund Awards Announced

Vice President for Research David Reed has awarded the following Century II Campaign Endowed Equipment Fund (C2E2) awards at the recommendation of the C2E2 Committee.

Andrew Galerneau (Chem): infrared spectrometer with absolute total reflectance accessory
Evan Kane (SFRES): underwater fore optic equipment
Sunil Mehendale (SoT): extractive continuous gas analyzer
Thomas Oommen, Jason Gulley and Jeremy Shannon (GMES): ground penetrating radar 100 MHz PulseEKKO PRO
Jonathan Riehl and Norma Veurink (EF): 31 IRobot educational programmable platforms
Guiliang Tang (Bio Sci): 2100 Electrophoresis Bioanalyzer
The vice president for research would like to thank the review committee members for their participation in this internal award process.