I. INTRODUCTION
Active learning has received considerable attention over the
past several years. Often presented or perceived as a radical change
from traditional instruction, the topic frequently polarizes faculty.
Active learning has attracted strong advocates among faculty looking
for alternatives to traditional teaching methods, while skeptical
faculty regard active learning as another in a long line of educational
fads.
For many faculty there remain questions about what active
learning is and how it differs from traditional engineering education,
since this is already “active” through homework assignments
and laboratories. Adding to the confusion, engineering faculty do
not always understand how the common forms of active learning
differ from each other and most engineering faculty are not inclined
to comb the educational literature for answers.
This study addresses each of these issues. First, it defines active
learning and distinguishes the different types of active learning
most frequently discussed in the engineering literature. A core element
is identified for each of these separate methods in order to differentiate
between them, as well as to aid in the subsequent analysis
of their effectiveness. Second, the study provides an overview of relevant
cautions for the reader trying to draw quick conclusions on
the effectiveness of active learning from the educational literature.
Finally, it assists engineering faculty by summarizing some of the
most relevant literature in the field of active learning.
I. INTRODUCTIONActive learning has received considerable attention over thepast several years. Often presented or perceived as a radical changefrom traditional instruction, the topic frequently polarizes faculty.Active learning has attracted strong advocates among faculty lookingfor alternatives to traditional teaching methods, while skepticalfaculty regard active learning as another in a long line of educationalfads.For many faculty there remain questions about what activelearning is and how it differs from traditional engineering education,since this is already “active” through homework assignmentsand laboratories. Adding to the confusion, engineering faculty donot always understand how the common forms of active learningdiffer from each other and most engineering faculty are not inclinedto comb the educational literature for answers.This study addresses each of these issues. First, it defines activelearning and distinguishes the different types of active learningmost frequently discussed in the engineering literature. A core elementis identified for each of these separate methods in order to differentiatebetween them, as well as to aid in the subsequent analysisof their effectiveness. Second, the study provides an overview of relevantcautions for the reader trying to draw quick conclusions onthe effectiveness of active learning from the educational literature.Finally, it assists engineering faculty by summarizing some of themost relevant literature in the field of active learning.
การแปล กรุณารอสักครู่..
