UI's Beyerlein Directs Guidebook Project Aimed at Improving College Teaching
Tuesday, December 21 2004
Dec. 21, 2004 MOSCOW, Idaho -- Steve Beyerlein, University of Idaho professor of mechanical engineering, is part of the movement to improve higher education through better understand of faculty roles in the learning process and to stimulate teachers' professional development. The initiative also addresses development of student learning skills and self-growth as well as enriched learning environments. Beyerlein is project director for the first edition of the "Faculty Guidebook: A Comprehensive Tool for Improving Faculty Performance." It is a resource for faculty members in any discipline who wish to improve their classroom performance, mentor junior colleagues and foster graduate student mentoring, said Beyerlein. It also discusses moving classroom innovations to conferences and publications, and instruction designed to meet program-level learning outcomes. While this first edition synthesizes as many as 25 authors' educational research findings, editions over the next three years will involve more than 100 faculty members from across the country. They will share best practices to improve "process-oriented" teaching and learning, measure added value through instruction, and cite the educational literature. "The exciting aspect of this project is that it will stay abreast of teaching and learning innovations across a spectrum of disciplines by including annual updates of 20-30 modules in educational philosophy, learning and developmental theory, instructional design, facilitation, creation of enriched learning environments, classroom assessment, evaluation of learning outcomes, program assessment, and educational research,” added Beyerlein. Modules are two to four pages in length and are "just-in-time" resources on topics of interest to classroom practitioners. The book is published by Pacific Crest, from which it may be ordered at 1-800-421-9826. Cost is $75. The second edition, due out in 2005, also will be available in electronic form. Beyerlein has taught mechanical engineering at UI since 1987 after earning a doctoral degree at Washington State University. He especially enjoys interacting with regional industry on senior design projects, studying internal combustion engines, advancing research-based practices in college classrooms, and organizing professional development activities for faculty. He has been active in the Transferable Integrated Design Engineering Education (TIDEE) consortium that produced and field-tested a Design Team Readiness Assessment, and the NSF Enriched Learning Environment project to form a community of research-based classroom practitioners at UI. The guide book project began on his sabbatical in 2001. Contacts: Steven Beyerlein, UI mechanical engineering professor, (208) 885-4932, sbeyer@uidaho.edu or Nancy Hilliard, University Communications, (208) 885-6567, hilliard@uidaho.edu -30- NH-12/21/04-ENGR
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