James E. Groccia

Fundamentals in civil engineering and computers-a freshman course

The authors describe how Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), USA, through a grant from the Davis Educational Foundation, has initiated a curriculum revision project which focuses on improving the teaching quality and faculty and student productivity in introductory level mathematics, science, computer science, and engineering courses. The objective of this project is to re-emphasize the commitment of the undergraduate program to critical thinking, cooperative group learning and problem solving, the integration of knowledge through projects, and student responsibility for learning. This objective strives to build upon the foundation set over twenty years ago with the creation of the WPI Plan and its emphasis on project-based learning in the upper level undergraduate curriculum.

Active and cooperative learning in an introductory chemical engineering course

A sophomore level chemical engineering course was redesigned to emphasize active and cooperative learning. The structure used was a peer-assisted cooperative learning model developed at WPI. The experimental course was compared to a control course taught by the passive lecture method. The control and test courses were compared using student performance, attitudes, evaluations of the course and instructor and faculty time. We found that student performance was better and content coverage was increased in the test class. Faculty time was reduced by 24% using the peer assisted cooperative learning model. Composite student evaluations of the course and instructor increased slightly from the control to the test course. Student attitudes about the profession increased during the test course, but were mixed regarding working in teams.

A Practical Model for Conducting Helpful Peer Review of Teaching

This chapter outlines a practical and easy-to-implement four-stage model of peer review. This model differs from most models in that it also includes a meeting with students during which the peer reviewer gathers contextual information about the quality of the their learning experiences based on their teacher’s pedagogical practices. We describe the details involved in successfully completing each stage of peer review as well as the outcomes that derive from using this model. Finally, we note that the success of any model of peer review is highly dependent on particular skillsets of the individuals conducting the peer review. These qualities include pedagogical expertise, observational skills, and interview skills.