Teaching tips and techniques offered by Engineering Integrative Learning group

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

When it comes to teaching, a small change can make a big difference.

That’s what many professors and instructors are discovering thanks to the

Karim Karim
 Engineering Integrative Learning community group.  Launched about 18 months ago, its goal is to have faculty members share examples of designing and delivering course material that focus on integrative learning.  Presentations, including one in October featuring Karim Karim, an electrical and computer engineering professor pictured above, are followed by an informal discussion.

Samar Mohamed, the Centre for Teaching Excellence Faculty Liaison, leads the group that meets twice a term over lunch. 

“The good thing about the group is that it opens the door for conversations to take place that help professors debrief and reflect on their teaching styles and methods,” she says.

Faculty members benefit from knowing what’s happening in the classrooms of others, points out Mohamed.

 “For example, one professor spoke about trying to teach a complicated mathematical concept. By including some YouTube videos with real life examples of the concept the students were able to understand it more deeply,” she says.

Another professor introduced an online discussion tool for his students who were in a large class that was not conducive to face-to-face feedback. And another stopped recommending project topics when he found that students were more motivated and engaged when they chose their own. 

Shared tips and easy-to-implement techniques have led to noticeable improvements that are reflected in student engagement and feedback.

“Some presenters have noticed that their course evaluations are getting better when they put effort into helping their students make connections and integrate their learning experience,” says Mohamed, a Waterloo electrical engineering graduate who is also a sessional lecturer for Waterloo’s electrical and computer engineering department.

The group, open to all engineering faculty members and teaching/lab instructors, will next meet on December 9.   Engineering instructors Jason Grove, Bill Bishop and Jim Baleshta will discuss the Engineering Ideas Clinic™ and what it’s all about. To find out more about the Engineering Integrative Learning community group contact Samar Mohamed.