The Community of Practice brings Lab and Design instructors together from across the college to address shared challenges.
Building a Lab and Design instructor community
Six lab and design instructors began meeting in Spring 2021 to discuss challenges and solutions for teaching during the pandemic. We found many “pain points” that were shared across departments, course types, and course levels and shared our expertise. Our SIIP Startup project formalized and expanded the community to lab and design instructors across the college. Using twice-monthly events, we connected members to helpful resources and to each other.
More about the origin of the Community of Practice
In the laboratory classroom, students have opportunities for design, problem solving, and exposure to real-world issues that are not usually present in traditional homework assignments. However, to operate effective laboratories, engineering departments and colleges must address challenges such as budget constraints, space limitations, class size, and limited teaching resources. The COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated these issues and added more with the need for online and remote learning experiences without sacrificing the benefits of experiential learning.
In particular, laboratory and design courses were significantly impacted by the sudden move to remote delivery during pandemic lockdowns. Instructors and departments made decisions for adapting each course based on specific needs. Throughout that time, instructors in lab and design courses identified both the successes and the continuing challenges to remote and hybrid delivery. When courses returned to in-person modalities, instructors considered what lessons learned can inform the future of experiential learning-based courses. The Community of Practice (CoP) was created by Grainger College lab and design course instructors to develop strategies and best practices across one engineering college as we enter a new era of teaching and learning, post-COVID.
Learn more about other AE3 engineering education initiatives by clicking the logo below!
