Civil Engineers Exceed To Succeed

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Engineering faculty aren’t famous for their communication skills, but participants in the Excellence in Civil Engineering Education (ExCEEd) Teaching Workshop, eing held for the first time at the University of Arkansas, are out to change that.

The 24 participants from throughout the United States will meet at the University of Arkansas July 9-14 for an intensive workshop led by Norm Dennis, professor of civil engineering. Participants must have fewer than four years of teaching experience, teach civil engineering courses and be currently employed at the two- or four-year college.

"We have participants coming from the University of Alaska, the University of Puerto Rico and 21 points in between," said Dennis. "The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has sponsored this program before at West Point, but this is the first time it has been taught outside of the Military Academy with mentors and instructors that do not teach at the Military Academy."

The workshop is a collaborative, "learning by doing" format. In addition to large group discussions on teaching topics and demonstrations by master teachers, participants prepare and teach three 50-minute classes in a small group setting. Participants get feedback from the mentor, assistant mentor and the group and receive a videotape of their teaching.

Mentors are an important part of the workshop, according to Dennis. They are veteran teachers who help the participants prepare lesson plans and model a variety of teaching methods for the whole group. Program mentors are Marc Hoit, University of Florida; Deborah Larsen, Northern Arizona University; Ken Murray, North Carolina State A&T; Jim O’Brien, U.S. Military Academy; Bob O’Neill, Roger Williams University; and Sigfried Holzer, Virginia Tech.

"College teachers usually don’t get taught how to teach, especially in engineering," said Dennis. "Unless they really make a significant effort, they are left to flounder - reading the literature and trying to imitate teachers they liked."

The workshop is fast-paced and intensive. Students arrive on Sunday afternoon for orientation. On Monday they are taught about communication techniques, learning styles, lesson objectives and creating supplementary materials. They also see a 50-minute demonstration course by a master. Monday evening is spent preparing a lesson. Participants deliver lessons on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings, are taught about various aspects of teaching in the afternoons, see additional demonstrations and spend each evening preparing for the next day with the guidance of the mentors and assistant mentors.

Participation in the ExCEEd program is limited to 48 teachers. The faculty members applied in fall 1999. The ASCE Committee on Faculty Development reviewed the applications and selected the participants. In addition to the 24 participants at the U of A, 24 faculty will attend an ExCEEd workshop taught in August at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.