RICHARD FELDER'S EDUCATION-RELATED PUBLICATIONS
Interview with Dr. Felder-1. Transcript of a relatively long interview published in the Journal of Science Education in which Dr. Felder discusses various aspects of his teaching philosophy.
Interview with Dr. Felder-2. Transcript of a short interview that appeared in September 2004 on the Australian Peer Support Network for New Academics in Engineering Web site in which Dr. Felder responds to questions about his career choices.
Chronological listing of Dr. Felder's education-related papers with links to those on this web site.
"Random Thoughts" Columns. Short columns on education-related topics that have appeared in the quarterly journal Chemical Engineering Education since 1988.
Click on a topic in the table shown below to view a list of relevant articles and columns. The papers whose titles are hot links can be viewed and downloaded from this site. For reprints of other listed articles, e-mail Dr. Felder at rmfelder@mindspring.com.
Return to Dr. Felder's home page
ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) and the Engineering Accreditation Criteria
- "ABET Criteria 2000: An Exercise in Engineering Problem Solving." A column of reflections on the ABET Engineering Criteria, the accreditation standard for all U.S. engineering programs.
- "Designing and Teaching Courses to Satisfy the ABET Engineering Criteria." A paper that reviews educational assessment terminology (educational objectives, outcomes, learning objectives, etc.), followed by suggestions for formulating course learning objectives, designing instruction, and selecting assessment methods that address Outcomes 3a-3k of the system used to accredit all American engineering programs.
- "EC2000 Criterion 2: A Procedure for Creating, Assessing, and Documenting Program Educational Objectives." A paper that reviews ABET Engineering Criterion 2 and offers guidance on addressing it.
- "Objectively Speaking." A column on how to write learning objectives for a course and why they make everything you do thereafter (e.g. planning syllabi and class sessions, making up assignments and exams, and reviewing departmental curricula) easier and more effective.
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Active learning
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Cooperative learning
- "Accounting for Individual Effort in Cooperative Learning Teams." An article in the Journal of Engineering Education reporting on an experimental study of the use of a peer rating system in an introductory engineering course. The study examines the incidence of students receiving low ratings from all their teammates, inflated and deflated self-ratings, identical ratings given by all teammates to one another, and possible gender and racial bias in the ratings.
- "A Longitudinal Study of Engineering Student
Performance and Retention. IV. Instructional Methods and Student Responses to
Them." A detailed outline of an instructional approach that incorporates active and cooperative learning and a variety of other methods designed to address a broad spectrum of learning styles.
- "A Longitudinal Study of Engineering Student
Performance and Retention. V. Comparisons with Traditionally-Taught
Students." Performance and attitude differences between students
taught with an active/cooperative learning model and students taught with a
traditional instructor-centered model.
- "Best Practices Involving Teamwork in the Classroom: Results from a Survey of 6435 Engineering Student Respondents." How instructors form and guide teams and implement cooperative learning can have a dramatic effect on students' satisfaction with the team experience and their sense of the extent to which the course learning objectives were met.
- "Cooperative Learning in a Sequence of Engineering Courses: A Success Story." [Cooperative Learning and College Teaching Newsletter, 5(2), 10-13 (1995).] A synopsis of the preceding two references.
- "Cooperative Learning." [Chapter 4 of Active Learning: Models from the Analytical Sciences, ACS Symposium Series 970, 2007.] A general overview of definitions and methods of cooperative learning and a review of CL applications in chemistry.
- "Cooperative Learning in Technical Courses:
Procedures, Pitfalls, and Payoffs." A monograph published as an ERIC
Document Reproduction Service report.
- "Cooperative Learning" (Apprendimento Cooperativo). [IS Informatica e Scuola, 12, 36-39 (2004).] A brief review of the principles and benefits of cooperative learning. (In Italian)
- "Designing and Teaching Courses to Satisfy the ABET Engineering Criteria." Review of ABET program assessment terminology (program educational objectives, program outcomes, course learning objectives, etc.), followed by suggestions for formulating learning objectives, designing instruction, and selecting assessment methods that address Outcomes a-k of the system used to accredit all American engineering programs. Includes an appendix that outlines how cooperative learning can be used to address all 11 of those outcomes.
- "Dynamics of Peer Education in Cooperative Learning Workgroups." An article in the Journal of Engineering Education in which conversation analysis of work sessions of student groups is used to identify patterns of teaching-learning interactions and interactional problems.
- "Effective Strategies for Cooperative Learning." An article in the Journal of Cooperation and Collaboration in College Teaching that offers tips on forming teams, dealing with dysfunctional teams, grading team assignments, and using cooperative learning in a distance learning environment.
- "FAQs." What evidence is there that these alternative teaching methods actually work?
- "FAQs-3." A column on methods of setting up groupwork in distance learning.
- "L’Apprendimento Cooperativo: Un Metodo per Migliorare la Preparazione e l’Acquisizione di Abilità Cognitive negli Studenti," Methods and benefits of cooperative learning. (In Italian, with an English abstract).
- "Navigating The Bumpy Road to Student-Centered
Instruction." An article in College Teaching on overcoming the obstacles frequently encountered in implementing student-centered approaches like cooperative learning.
- "Sermons for Grumpy Campers." Short speeches to persuade students that active and cooperative learning are not violations of their civil rights, but instructional methods likely to improve their learning and grades and prepare them for their future careers.
- "A Student-Centered Approach to Teaching Material and Energy Balances. Part 2. Course Delivery and Assessment". The second of a two-part series in Chemical Engineering Education on an implementation of the stoichiometry course that made extensive use of active and cooperative methods.
- "Turning Student Groups into Effective Teams." A paper in the Journal of Student-Centered Learning that describes techniques for avoiding dysfunctional teams, dealing with them when they arise, and helping students acquire the skills they will need to form high-performance teams.
- "Technology-Based Instruction and Cooperative Learning." A letter to the editor that says in effect, "Don't knock them until you've tried them--or at least until you've checked out the research attesting to their effectiveness."
- "We Never Said It Would Be Easy." A column on problems commonly encountered when implementing active and cooperative learning methods and ways to overcome them. (A short version of "Navigating the Bumpy Road to Student-Centered Instruction.")
- R.M. Felder, "Active, Inductive, Cooperative Learning: An
Instructional Model for Chemistry?" J. Chem. Ed., 73(9), 832-836
(1996). An article in J. Chem. Education.
- R.M. Felder, "Cooperative Learning in a Sequence of Engineering
Courses: A Success Story." An article in the Cooperative Learning and College Teaching Newsletter.
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Engineering education: Issues and directions
- "A Survey of Faculty Teaching Practices and Involvement in Faculty Development Activities." The extent to which engineering faculty in 1999-2000 were using various nontraditional methods including active and team-based learning, and the role of faculty development in promoting the observed usage.
- "A Whole New Mind for a Flat World." A 2006 column observing that to get and keep jobs in a world of growing globalization, outsourcing of skilled jobs, and offshoring of entire manufacturing operations, engineering graduates in developed countries will need knowledge and skills that are not addressed in today's engineering curriculum.
- "Changing Times and Paradigms." A 2004 column listing driving forces for reform in engineering education and recent signs that they may be working.
- "Designing and Teaching Courses to Satisfy the ABET Engineering Criteria." A paper that reviews educational assessment terminology (educational objectives, outcomes, learning objectives, etc.), followed by suggestions for formulating course learning objectives, designing instruction, and selecting assessment methods that address Outcomes 3a-3k of the system used to accredit all American engineering programs.
- "A Longitudinal Study of Engineering Student
Performance and Retention. IV. Instructional Methods and Student Responses to
Them." A detailed outline of an instructional approach that incorporates active and cooperative learning and a variety of other methods designed to address a broad spectrum of learning styles.
- "A Longitudinal Study of Engineering Student
Performance and Retention. V. Comparisons with Traditionally-Taught
Students." Performance and attitude differences between students
taught with an active/cooperative learning model and students taught with a
traditional instructor-centered model.
- "Teaching Engineering at a Research University: Problems and Possibilities." Proven strategies for effective teaching, why most faculty members don't know about them, and ways to change the system to make their use more widespread.
- "Teaching Engineering in the 21st Century with a 12th Century Teaching Model: How Bright is That?" A comparison of traditional teaching methods, which in many ways go back nearly a millennium, with methods more appropriate for helping modern engineering students develop the professional skills that will be required of them.
- "The Future of Engineering Education. I. A Vision for a New Century." The first of a series of six papers in Chemical Engineering Education surveying recent changes and predicting future directions in engineering education. This paper reviews the global issues that will require reforms in the way engineers are educated and engineering professors are prepared to provide the education.
- "The Future of Engineering Education. II. Teaching Methods that Work." A survey of instructional methods that have been proven effective in many classroom research studies and can be implemented within the context of the ordinary engineering classroom. Topics covered include formulation of clearly defined instructional objectives and using active, cooperative, and problem-based learning.
- "The Future of Engineering Education. III. Developing Critical Skills." Techniques to help students develop problem-solving, writing, teamwork, self-assessment, change-management, and lifelong learning skills.
- "The Future of Engineering Education. IV. Learning How to Teach." Approaches to equipping current and future faculty members with teaching skills. Examples are given of successful courses and workshops on teaching and mentorship programs.
- "The Future of Engineering Education. V. Assessing Teaching Effectiveness and Educational Scholarship." Methods for determining the effectiveness of instruction in individual courses and curricula (learning outcomes assessments, ratings from students, peers, and alumni, teaching portfolios) and determining the quality of educational scholarship.
- "The Future of Engineering Education. VI. Making Reform Happen." Suggestions for addressing faculty concerns about alternative teaching methods and possible incentives and rewards for faculty to redesign courses and curricula and improve teaching quality.
- "The Myth of the Superhuman Professor."
A paper in the Journal of Engineering Education summarizing problems that result from the common requirement that all faculty members at research universities must excel at both teaching and disciplinary research and suggesting an alternative model for faculty hiring and advancement.
- "Does Engineering Education Have Anything to Do with Either One: Toward a Systems Approach to Training Engineers." A 1982 monograph that relates prevalent practices in engineering education to many technology-based problems facing society. Many of the educational reforms suggested in the monograph were developed further in Dr. Felder's papers in subsequent decades and anticipated many of the features of the current engineering program accreditation system.
- "The Warm Winds of Change."
A 1996 column reporting indications that the climate for teaching at universities may be improving.
- R.M. Felder, "American Engineering Education: Current Issues and
Future Directions." Intl. Journal of Engr. Education, 9(4),
286-289 (1993).
- R.M. Felder, "Does Engineering Education Have Anything to Do with
Either?" Engineering Education, 75(2), 95 (1984).
- R.M. Felder, "The Future ChE Curriculum: Must One Size Fit All?"
Chem. Eng. Education, 21(2), 74 (1987).
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Assessment and evaluation of teaching
- "How to Evaluate Teaching." Obtaining a comprehensive evaluation of the quality of a faculty member's teaching.
- "A Protocol for Peer Review of Teaching." Outline of a system for obtaining a reliable peer rating of the quality of course instruction.
- "Designing and Teaching Courses to Satisfy the ABET Engineering Criteria." A paper that reviews educational assessment terminology (educational objectives, outcomes, learning objectives, etc.), followed by suggestions for formulating course learning objectives, designing instruction, and selecting assessment methods that address Outcomes 3a-3k of the system used to accredit all American engineering programs.
- "If You've Got It, Flaunt It: Uses and Abuses of Teaching Portfolios." A column on functions of teaching portfolios, tips for designing and evaluating them, and recommendations for implementing campus-wide portfolio programs (material drawn primarily from the work of Peter Seldin).
- "It Takes One to Know One." A column of strategies and tips for peer review of teaching.
- "The Future of Engineering Education. V. Assessing Teaching Effectiveness and Educational Scholarship." An article in Chemical Engineering Education on methods for determining the effectiveness of instruction in individual courses and curricula (learning outcomes assessments, ratings from students, peers, and alumni, teaching portfolios) and determining the quality of educational scholarship.
- "Student Ratings of Teaching: Myths, Facts, and Good Practices." Common beliefs about the validity and value of student ratings, what the research says about those beliefs, and how to make ratings as useful as possible. A 2008 update of the "What Do They Know, Anyway" columns that follow.
- "What Do They Know, Anyway?" A column of common misconceptions about student evaluations of teaching and the
research results that disprove them.
- "What Do They Know, Anyway? 2. Making
Evaluations Effective." A column on ways to get the most benefit from
student evaluations of teaching.
- "FAQs-6. Evaluating Teaching and Converting the Masses," Responses to the final two frequently asked questions: "Is there a meaningful way to evaluate teaching?" and "How can staunchly traditional professors be persuaded to use proven but non-traditional teaching methods?"
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Faculty development and mentoring
- "Preparing New Faculty Members to be Successful: A No-Brainer and yet a Radical Concept." A paper in the 2006 ASEE Annual Conference Proceedings describing a multifaceted program at North Carolina State University to help prepare new and future faculty members for successful academic careers.
- "Mentoring: A Personal Perspective." An article in College Teaching describing a mentoring relationship between an experienced faculty member and a relatively new one as viewed from both perspectives.
- "A Model for Engineering Faculty Development." An article in the International Journal of Engineering Education describing the SUCCEED Coalition faculty development program.
- "Engineering Faculty Development: Getting the Sermon Beyond the Choir." An article in the Journal of Faculty Development outlining techniques for involving engineering professors in faculty development programs and for making the programs effective.
- "A Model Program for Promoting Effective Teaching in Colleges of Engineering." An article on an engineering faculty development model designed and implemented by the Southeastern University and College Coalition for Engineering Education (SUCCEED).
- "Engineering Faculty Development: A Multicoalition Perspective." An article on a model for the design of an engineering faculty development program, with implementation examples drawn from several of the NSF Engineering Education Coalitions.
- "A Survey of Faculty Teaching Practices and Involvement in Faculty Development Activities." The extent to which engineering faculty in 1999-2000 were using various nontraditional methods including active and team-based learning, and the role of faculty development in promoting the observed usage.
- 1999-2000 SUCCEED Faculty Survey of Teaching Practices and Perceptions of Institutional Attitudes toward Teaching. SUCCEED Coalition Report, December 2001. View full report (95 pages) or executive summary (9 pages). Reported frequencies of use of active and cooperative learning, learning objectives, writing assignments, and faculty development services, and perceptions of the value ascribed to teaching quality by faculty members, administrators, and the faculty reward system. The survey respondents were 586 engineering faculty members at eight institutions.
- "Helping New Faculty Get Off to a Good Start." An article that suggests things administrators and senior faculty can do to help new faculty members become productive in research and effective in teaching early in their careers.
- "New Faculty 101: An Orientation to the Profession." Description of a workshop at North Carolina State University that provides guidance to new faculty members on starting and managing a research program, planning and teaching courses, balancing competing time demands, and becoming an effective participant in the campus community.
- "Schooling vs. Education and Other Balancing Acts." A keynote address surveying some of the dilemmas that every college professor must confront and suggesting how to resolve them.
- "So You Want to Win a CAREER Award." A column of suggestions for preparing a proposal to the NSF Early Faculty Development (CAREER) Program.
- "Teaching Teachers to Teach: The
Case for Mentoring." A column proposing a model for helping new professors
learn the craft of teaching.
- "The Future of Engineering Education. IV. Learning How to Teach." An article in Chemical Engineering Education summarizing approaches to equipping current and future faculty members with teaching skills. Examples are given of successful courses and workshops on teaching and mentorship programs.
- "The New Faculty Member." A column that summarizes Robert Boice's book of the same name. Tips to help new faculty members make rapid progress up the academic ladder to tenure and promotion.
- "FAQs-6. Evaluating Teaching and Converting the Masses," Responses to the final two frequently asked questions: "Is there a meaningful way to evaluate teaching?" and "How can staunchly traditional professors be persuaded to use proven but non-traditional teaching methods?"
- S.P. Beaudoin and R.M. Felder, “Preparing the Professoriate: A Study in Mentorship,” J. Grad. Tchng. Asst. Development, 4(3), 87–91 (1997). Description of a faculty-graduate student mentorship program focusing on effective teaching and/or educational research, with a case study of an educational research project.
- R.M. Felder, R. Leonard, and R.L. Porter, "Oh God, Not Another
Teaching Workshop." Engineering Education, 79(6), 622 (1989).
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Faculty reward system (role of teaching)
- "Changing Times and Paradigms." Driving forces for reform in engineering education and signs that they may be working.
- "Does Faculty Research Improve Undergraduate Teaching? An Analysis of Existing and Potential Synergies." A review of the literature on the research-teaching nexus and recommendations to strengthen the nexus.
- "The Myth of the Superhuman Professor." Problems that result from the common requirement that all faculty members at research universities must excel at both teaching and disciplinary research and an alternative model for faculty hiring and advancement.
- 1999-2000 SUCCEED Faculty Survey of Teaching Practices and Perceptions of Institutional Attitudes toward Teaching. SUCCEED Coalition Report, December 2001. View full report (95 pages) or executive summary (9 pages). Reported frequencies of use of active and cooperative learning, learning objectives, writing assignments, and faculty development services, and perceptions of the value ascribed to teaching quality by faculty members, administrators, and the faculty reward system. The survey respondents were 586 engineering faculty members at eight institutions.
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Articles of humorous intent
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Improving teaching
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Learning and teaching styles
- "Learning and Teaching Styles in Engineering Education." The 1988 article in Engineering Education that originally defined the Felder-Silverman learning styles model and identified teaching practices that should meet the needs of students with the full spectrum of styles. The paper is preceded by a 2002 preface that states and explains changes in the model that have been made since 1988.
- "Reaching the Second Tier: Learning and Teaching Styles in College Science Education." An article in the Journal of College Science Teaching containing an updated presentation of the Felder-Silverman model.
- "Applications, Reliability, and Validity of the Index of Learning Styles." A summary of learning style profiles and a validation study of the Index of Learning Styles, a self-scoring on-line instrument that assesses learning style preferences on the dimensions of the Felder-Silverman model.
- "A Psychometric Study of the Index of Learning Styles." Reliability, factor structure, and construct validity of the Index of Learning Styles.
- "Learning and Teaching Styles in Foreign and Second Language Education." An article in Foreign Language Annals outlining the application of the Felder-Silverman learning styles model to language education.
- "Understanding Student Differences." An article in the Journal of Engineering Education exploring differences in student learning styles, approaches to learning (deep, surface, and strategic), and levels of intellectual development.
- "Matters of Style." An article in ASEE Prism outlining the principles and applications of four learning style models (Felder-Silverman, Kolb, and models based on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the Herrmann Brain Dominance
Instrument).
- "The Effects of Personality Type on Engineering Student Performance and Attitudes." An article in the Journal of Engineering Education describing results from administering the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to 116 sophomore engineering students whose progress through the curriculum for the next two years was monitored. Type differences in various academic performance measures and attitudes were generally consistent with the predictions of type theory. Active and cooperative learning improves the performance of MBTI types (extraverts, sensors, and feelers) found in previous studies to be disadvantaged in the engineering curriculum.
- "Meet Your Students: 1. Stan and
Nathan." A column describing the sensor and the intuitor on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the Felder/Silverman Learning Styles Model.
- "Meet Your Students: 2. Susan
and Glenda." A column describing the sequential learner and the global learner on the Felder/Silverman learning styles model.
- "Meet Your Students: 4. Jill and
Perry." A column describing the judger and the perceiver on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.
- "Meet Your Students: 5. Edward and
Irving." A column describing the extravert and the introvert on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.
- "Meet Your Students: 6. Tony and
Frank." A column describing the thinker and the feeler on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.
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Learning objectives (aka instructional objectives)
- "Objectively Speaking." A column on how to write instructional objectives for a course and why they make everything you do thereafter (e.g. planning syllabi and class sessions, making up assignments and exams, and reviewing departmental curricula) easier and more effective.
- "Designing and Teaching Courses to Satisfy the ABET Engineering Criteria." A paper that reviews educational assessment terminology (educational objectives, outcomes, learning objectives, etc.), followed by suggestions for formulating course learning objectives, designing instruction, and selecting assessment methods that address Outcomes 3a-3k of the system used to accredit all American engineering programs.
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Longitudinal study
A cohort of chemical engineering students was taught five chemical engineering courses in consecutive semesters using active and cooperative learning and a variety of other methods designed to address a broad spectrum of learning styles. Numerous academic performance measures, confidence levels, attitudes toward their instruction and their chosen field of study, and demographic variables were assessed for these students and analyzed, and the outcomes were compared with comparable results for a cohort of students taught traditionally. The principal results were reported in the following series of six papers.
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Miscellaneous topics
- 1999-2000 SUCCEED Faculty Survey of Teaching Practices and Perceptions of Institutional Attitudes toward Teaching. SUCCEED Coalition Report, December 2001. View full report (95 pages) or executive summary (9 pages). Reported frequencies of use of active and cooperative learning, learning objectives, writing assignments, and faculty development services, and perceptions of the value ascribed to teaching quality by faculty members, administrators, and the faculty reward system. The survey respondents were 586 engineering faculty members at eight institutions.
- "Case Study of the Physics Component of an Integrated Curriculum." An article in Physics Education Research reporting on the physics portion of IMPEC (Integrated Mathematics, Physics, Engineering, and Chemistry Curriculum), an experimental freshman engineering program. (It may take a long time for the Acrobat Reader to open this file--please be patient.)
- "Good Cop/Bad Cop: Embracing
Contraries in Teaching." A column reviewing Embracing Contraries, an excellent book about teaching by Peter Elbow.
- "How to Prepare New Courses without Losing Your Sanity." Tips on how to handle new preps and still have time to have a life (sort of).
- "How to Write Anything." Weeks or months or years have gone by, and you still haven't managed to complete a first draft of that big proposal, paper, dissertation, or book. Here's what you're probably doing wrong and what to do instead.
- "Nobody Asked Me, But
" A column summarizing some of Dr. Felder's opinions and prejudices.
- "On Creating Creative Engineers." Classroom exercises and assignments to help students develop and improve their creative thinking skills.
- "The Way to Bet." A collection of assertions about teaching and learning that may not be certain but are highly probable.
- "Understanding Student Differences." An article in the Journal of Engineering Education exploring differences in student learning styles, approaches to learning (deep, surface, and strategic), and levels of intellectual development.
- "We Hold These Truths To Be Self-Evident." A column of several common but unproven myths about teaching.
- --, "Why Me, Lord?" How to deal with a student in crisis if you're not a trained counselor.
- "Writing Assignments: Pathways to Connections, Clarity, Creativity." An article in College Teaching offering examples of short writing assignments that address a wide variety of learning objectives.
- R.M. Felder, "A Course on Presenting Technical Talks." Chem.
Eng. Education, 22(2), 84 (1988).
- R.M. Felder, "Chemical Engineering at North Carolina State
University." Chem. Eng. Education, 13, 2 (1979).
- R.M. Felder, "Identifying and Dealing with Exceptionally Gifted
Children: The Half-Blind Leading the Sighted." Roeper Review, 8, 174
(1986).
- R.M. Felder, L.E. Bernold, E.E. Burniston, P.R. Dail, and J.E.
Gastineau, "An Integrated First-Year Engineering Curriculum." 1996 Annual
ASEE Conference Proceedings.
- R.M. Felder, L.E. Bernold, E.E. Burniston, P.R. Dail, and J.E.
Gastineau, "Team-Teaching in an Integrated Freshman Engineering Curriculum."
1996 Annual ASEE Conference Proceedings.
- R.M. Felder, and G.S. Huvard, "Make Your Technical Training
Effective." Chem. Engr., 100(6), 133-136 (1993).
- R.M. Felder and B.A. Soloman, "Systems Thinking: An Experimental
Course for College Freshmen." Innovative Higher Education,
12(2), 57 (1988).
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New faculty orientation and support
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Personality types (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator)
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Quotes
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Scholarship of teaching and learning (educational research)
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Stoichiometry course (material and energy balances)
- "A Student-Centered Approach to Teaching Material and Energy Balances." A two-part series in Chemical Engineering Education on an implementation of the stoichiometry course that made extensive use of active and cooperative methods. Part 1. Course Design describes the course structure and policies, assignments, and teaching assistant preparation, and Part 2. Course Delivery and Assessment outlines the first week of the course, how active, cooperative, and inquiry-based learning and instructional technology were used, and how the course was assessed and evaluated.
- "Stoichiometry Without Tears." An article in Chemical Engineering Education suggesting an approach to teaching the stoichiometry course, with an extended illustrative class session.
- "Knowledge Structure of the Stoichiometry Course." An article in Chemical Engineering Education containing annotated concept maps for the content of the standard stoichiometry course.
- "A Brief History of Elementary Principles of Chemical Processes." A column outlining how the text originated, how long it took to write, who wrote which parts, and why anyone in his or her right mind would write an undergraduate textbook with the faculty reward system being what it is.
- "The Alumni Speak." A column in which chemical engineering alumni talk about what they liked and didn't like about their education and offer advice to beginning students.
- R.M. Felder, K.D. Forrest, L. Baker-Ward, E.J. Dietz, and P.H.
Mohr, "A Longitudinal Study of Engineering Student Performance and Retention.
I. Success and Failure in the Introductory Course." J. Engr. Education,
82(1), 15-21 (1993).
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Students: Characteristics, motivation, and factors promoting success
- R.M. Felder, K.D. Forrest, L. Baker-Ward, E.J. Dietz, and P.H.
Mohr, "A Longitudinal Study of Engineering Student Performance and Retention.
I. Success and Failure in the Introductory Course." J. Engr. Education,
82(1), 15-21 (1993).
- R.M. Felder, P.H. Mohr, E.J. Dietz, and L. Baker-Ward, "A
Longitudinal Study of Engineering Student Performance and Retention. II.
Differences Between Students from Rural and Urban Backgrounds." J. Engr.
Education, 83(3), 209-217 (1994).
- "A Longitudinal Study of Engineering Student Performance and
Retention. III. Gender Differences in Student Performance and Attitudes.". An article reporting on performance, confidence levels, and attitude differences between men and women taught with an active/cooperative learning model.
- "A Longitudinal Study of Engineering Student
Performance and Retention. IV. Instructional Methods and Student Responses to
Them.". An article outlining an instructional approach that incorporates active and cooperative learning and a variety of other methods designed to address a broad spectrum of learning styles.
- "A Longitudinal Study of Engineering Student
Performance and Retention. V. Comparisons with Traditionally-Taught
Students". An article reporting on performance and attitude differences between students taught with an active/cooperative learning model and students taught with a traditional instructor-centered model.
- "The Intellectual Development of Science and Engineering Students. I. Models and Challenges.". The first of a two-part series of articles on the progression of students from a belief in the certainty of all knowledge and the omniscience of authorities to a recognition that knowledge is contextual and a tendency to apply critical thinking in its acquisition. This paper surveys models describing the progression and outlines challenges to instructors who wish to promote the development of their students.
- "The Intellectual Development of Science and Engineering Students. II. Teaching to Promote Growth.". Formulation of an instructional model designed to promote intellectual development.
- "The Effects of Personality Type on Engineering Student Performance and Attitudes." An article reporting on a study in which the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator was administered to 116 sophomore engineering students, whose progress through the curriculum for the next two years was monitored. Type differences in various academic performance measures and attitudes were generally consistent with the predictions of type theory.
- "Understanding Student Differences." An article in the Journal of Engineering Education exploring differences in student learning styles, approaches to learning (deep, surface, and strategic), and levels of intellectual development.
- "An Engineering Student Survival Guide".
An article of tips for students on what to do if you're struggling in your courses.
- "FAQs-4. Dealing with Student Background Deficiencies and Low Student Motivation," A column of suggestions for moving from complaining about our students to addressing the problems we often have with them.
- "Impostors Everywhere." A column about the Impostor Phenomenon as applied to engineering students.
- "Meet Your Students: 1. Stan and
Nathan." A column describing the sensor and the intuitor on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the Felder/Silverman Learning Styles Model.
- "Meet Your Students: 2. Susan
and Glenda." A column describing the sequential learner and the global learner on the Felder/Silverman learning styles model.
- "Meet Your Students: 3. Michelle,
Rob, and Art." A column describing three different approaches to learning (deep, surface, and strategic) and the conditions that induce students to take a deep approach.
- "Meet Your Students: 4. Jill and
Perry." A column describing the judger and the perceiver on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.
- "Meet Your Students: 5. Edward and
Irving." A column describing the extravert and the introvert on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.
- "Meet Your Students: 6. Tony and
Frank." A column describing the thinker and the feeler on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.
- "Meet Your Students: 7. Dave,
Martha, and Roberto." A column describing three students at different levels
of Perry's Model of Intellectual Development.
- "Memo to Students Who are Disappointed with Their Last Test Grade." A column of suggestions for things students can do to improve their test performance.
- "Ships Passing in the Night." A column suggesting that those classroom conversations may not always be about the lecture content.
- "The Alumni Speak." A column in which chemical engineering alumni talk about what they liked and didn't like about their education and offer advice to beginning students.
- "There's Nothing Wrong With the
Raw Material." A column commenting on the qualifications of precollege students.
- "What Matters in College."
A column reviewing What Matters in College, by Alexander Astin,
perhaps the most extensive research study ever carried out of factors affecting
student success in college.
- "Who Needs These Headaches? Reflections on
Teaching First-Year Engineering Students." A short article reporting experiences with coordinating and teaching an integrated first-year engineering curriculum and
suggesting five inferred principles for teaching first-year engineering students
effectively.
- R.M. Felder and G.N. Felder, "Is the Quality of American Students
Really Declining?" Chem. Engr. Progr., June 1992, pp. 79-89.
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Teaching methods and tips
- Student-Centered Teaching and Learning. Articles, columns, resources, and Web sites related to active learning, cooperative learning, and inductive teaching and learning methods such as inquiry-based learning and problem-based learning.
- "All in a Day's Work." A column of tips on dealing with troublesome classroom situations (students arriving late, talking, sleeping, etc.).
- "Any Questions?" A column summarizing different types of questions that can be effectively asked in class.
- "Beating the Numbers Game: Effective Teaching
in Large Classes." An article suggesting techniques for getting students actively
involved in large lecture classes and for efficient management of the logistics
of such classes.
- "Death by PowerPoint." How and how not to use presentation graphics in a class.
- "Designing and Teaching Courses to Satisfy the ABET Engineering Criteria." A paper that reviews educational assessment terminology (educational objectives, outcomes, learning objectives, etc.), followed by suggestions for formulating course learning objectives, designing instruction, and selecting assessment methods that address Outcomes 3a-3k of the system used to accredit all American engineering programs.
- "How to Teach (Almost) Anybody (Almost) Anything." A four-step technique to equip students with almost any desired skill.
- "The Case for Inductive Teaching." A brief synopsis of the arguments for inductive teaching and learning made in greater detail in "The Many Faces of Inductive Teaching and Learning" and "Inductive Teaching and Learning Methods: Definitions, Comparisons, and Research Bases."
- "Inductive Teaching and Learning Methods: Definitions, Comparisons, and Research Bases." Inductive teaching methods begin instruction with observations to be interpreted, problems to be solved, or case studies to be analyzed, and introduce facts, rules, procedures, principles, and theories in the context of those activities. This paper reviews and compares several common inductive methods, including inquiry learning, problem-based and project-based learning, discovery learning, case-based teaching, and just-in-time teaching, and surveys their applications in engineering education and the research base that confirms their effectiveness.
- "The Many Faces of Inductive Teaching and Learning." Pros, cons, and comparisons of several different inductive teaching methods (inquiry-based learning, discovery learning, problem- and project-based learning, case-based teaching, and just-in-time teaching). The paper describes illustrative applications of these methods in the sciences and offers guidance on their implementation.
- "How to Prepare New Courses without Losing Your Sanity." Chem. Engr. Education, 41(2), 121-122 (Spring 2007). Tips on how to handle new preps and still have time to have a life (sort of).
- "It's a Start." An article suggesting ways to get a class off to a good start in the first week.
- "Navigating The Bumpy Road to Student-Centered
Instruction." An article on overcoming the obstacles frequently
encountered in implementing student-centered approaches like cooperative
learning.
- "Sermons for Grumpy Campers." Chem. Engr. Education, 41(3), 183-184 (Summer 2007).Short speeches to persuade students that active and cooperative learning are not violations of their civil rights, but instructional methods likely to improve their learning and grades and prepare them for their future careers.
- "On Creating Creative Engineers." Classroom exercises and assignments to help students develop and improve their creative thinking skills.
- "Teaching Engineering at a Research University: Problems and Possibilities." Proven strategies for effective teaching, why most faculty members don't know about them, and ways to change the system to make their use more widespread.
- "Teaching Engineering in the 21st Century with a 12th Century Teaching Model: How Bright is That?" A comparison of traditional teaching methods, which in many ways go back nearly a millennium, with methods more appropriate for helping modern engineering students develop the professional skills that will be required of them.
- "The Future of Engineering Education. II. Teaching Methods that Work." An article in Chemical Engineering Education surveying instructional methods that have been proven effective in many classroom research studies and can be implemented within the context of the ordinary engineering classroom. Topics covered include formulation of clearly defined instructional objectives and using active, cooperative, and problem-based learning.
- "The Future of Engineering Education. III. Developing Critical Skills." An article in Chemical Engineering Education surveying techniques to help students develop problem-solving, writing, teamwork, self-assessment, change-management, and lifelong learning skills.
- "Writing Assignments: Pathways to Connections, Clarity, Creativity." An article in College Teaching offering examples of short writing assignments that address a wide variety of learning objectives.
- 1999-2000 SUCCEED Faculty Survey of Teaching Practices and Perceptions of Institutional Attitudes toward Teaching. SUCCEED Coalition Report, December 2001. View full report (95 pages) or executive summary (9 pages). Reported frequencies of use of active and cooperative learning, learning objectives, writing assignments, and faculty development services, and perceptions of the value ascribed to teaching quality by faculty members, administrators, and the faculty reward system. The survey respondents were 586 engineering faculty members at eight institutions.
- R.M. Felder, "Cheating-An Ounce of Prevention." Chem. Eng.
Education, 19(1), 12 (1985).
- R.M. Felder, "Creativity in Engineering Education." Chem. Eng.
Education, 22(3), 120 (1988).
- R.M. Felder, "The Generic Quiz: A Device to Stimulate Creativity
and Higher-Level Thinking Skills." Chem. Eng. Education,
19(4), 176 (1985).
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Technology-assisted instruction (including distance education)
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Tests and grading
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Women in engineering
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