Assessing the Pedagogical Impact of the VaNTH Engineering Research Center on Faculty and Postdoctoral Professionals

• Main Authors: Monica Cox, James Cawthorne, Nathan McNeill, Osman Cekic, Matthew Frye, Melissa Stacer
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Georgia Southern University 2011-07-01
• Series: International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
• Subjects: Pedagogy; Faculty professional development; Engineering Research Center; “How People Learn”
• Online Access: https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/ij-sotl/vol5/iss2/19

From 1999 to 2007, the Vanderbilt-Northwestern-Texas-Harvard/MIT (VaNTH) Engineering Research Center focused on improving bioengineering education through the applications of learning science, learning technology, and assessment and evaluation within the domain of bioengineering. This paper discusses results from a survey to explore the impact of the VaNTH experience on participating faculty and postdoctoral professionals. The results note that respondents differed in their familiarity with and applications of dimensions of the “How People Learn” framework and in their operationalization of effective instruction after their participation in VaNTH. Implications for teaching and learning with the context of a Center model are discussed along with next steps for exploring the experiences of faculty and professionals engaged in the VaNTH ERC.