Utilizing Instructional Consultations to Enhance the Teaching Performance of Engineering Faculty

Although many kinds of data can be used to guide instructional consultations, research comparing the efficacy of such data is scant, especially in engineering. In this study, multiple modes of assessment were used to evaluate the impact of consultations informed by different kinds of data. This stud...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of engineering education (Washington, D.C.) D.C.), 2008-10, Vol.97 (4), p.397-411
Main Authors: Finelli, Cynthia J., Ott, Molly, Gottfried, Amy C., Hershock, Chad, O'Neal, Christopher, Kaplan, Matthew
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
College Instruction
Colleges & universities
Consultants
Cooperative learning
Employee development
Engineering research
Faculty Development
Higher education
improving teaching
instructional consultation
Research methodology
small group instructional diagnosis (SGID)
Student Evaluation of Teacher Performance
Teacher education
Teaching
Teaching Methods
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Summary:Although many kinds of data can be used to guide instructional consultations, research comparing the efficacy of such data is scant, especially in engineering. In this study, multiple modes of assessment were used to evaluate the impact of consultations informed by different kinds of data. This study illuminates two key aspects of instructional consultations: (1) their efficacy varies depending on the kind of data used to guide them, with student feedback from a Small Group Instructional Diagnosis (SGID) having the largest positive impact, and (2) the instructional consultant plays a key role in helping both interpret the available data and identify strategies for improvement. These findings suggest three implications for practice: (1) whenever possible, SGID‐based consultations should be offered systematically and proactively for engineering faculty, (2) data for other kinds of consultations should be tailored to the needs of the individual instructor, and (3) instructional consultants should be available to collaborate with faculty to enhance their teaching, thereby building an engineering culture that actively supports teaching and learning.
ISSN:1069-4730
2168-9830
DOI:10.1002/j.2168-9830.2008.tb00989.x