Engineer Education Research Seminars
Title: |
Perspectives from the Field: Engineering Education Research and Innovative Teaching |
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Speaker: |
Mr. Christopher Venters |
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Affiliation: |
Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA |
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When: |
Thursday, November 10, 2011 at 11:00:00 AM |
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Where: |
MRDC Building, Room 4211 |
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Host: |
Dr. Wayne Whiteman | |
Abstract How can the United States maintain its competitive edge and leadership role in engineering and technology in a dramatically changing, knowledge-driven global economy? What knowledge and skills must our future engineering graduates possess to succeed in this shifting terrain, and what can educators do to prepare them? Searching for the answers to these important questions and others has led to the emergence of Engineering Education as a research field throughout the past two decades, resulting in a rapid expansion of funded projects and publications on an international level. Along with this expansion have come PhD programs in Engineering Education at Virginia Tech, Purdue, and other institutions focused on training the next generation of scholars dedicated to promoting innovation in engineering education pedagogy through systematic research and improved assessment. This talk will explore the current state of engineering education research, highlighting current research threads and how their findings may be used to help faculty increase the quality of learning in traditional engineering departments. Two Virginia Tech Engineering Education PhD candidates will discuss the foundations and implications of the field’s systematic approach to integrating research and practice in engineering education. They will also discuss their current dissertation research and implications for improving the current educational structure of engineering. |
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Biography Chris Venters is a PhD candidate and current Dean’s Teaching Fellow in the Department of Engineering Education at Virginia Tech. His research focuses on conceptual understanding, particularly in engineering mechanics courses, and his dissertation work is titled “Using Writing-to-Learn Methods to Improve Conceptual Understanding in Statics”. He also works with the Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics as a TA and instructor. Mr. Venters received his M.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Virginia Tech and his B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from North Carolina State University. |
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