Promoting awareness and application of interactive, constructivist teaching within Technical Chemistry courses at TU Wien
- Pedagogy
- ActiveLearning ConstructiveAlignment InteractiveLecturing
- Context/Topic
- STEM-CPD@EUni StudentCentredTeaching
Anne Conibear
Faculty of Technical Chemistry, Technical University of Vienna, Austria
Challenge and goal
To raise awareness and promote discussion and application of interactive, constructivist teaching methods within Technical Chemistry courses at TU Wien.
Topic of the user case
Exposure of students and academics to teaching methods that can complement or enhance traditional lecture-based teaching.
Local context (specific)
I started at TU Wien at the beginning of 2022 and so far have observed a strong focus on traditional lecture-based teaching and laboratory exercises that generally do not foster critical thinking skills or interactive engagment. As a result, I hypothesise that graduates are not well prepared for open enquiry learning contexts (e.g. MSc and PhD research) or other career pathways that require critical thinking and creativity. I propose that this is because most of the students and academics have never been exposed to other methods of teaching and so they stick to what they know. There is also a strong institutional and discipline culture of emphasising content knowledge above skills, competences, analysis and creativity. I also realise that I am fairly new in the system, have a different background, and am in a rather junior position; therefore I would like to ensure that I do not make unfounded assumptions or make colleagues feel threatened or judged based on their teaching. My aim is to promote a discussion about teaching practices where we can learn from each other and enrich student learning.
Local CPD goals
- Gain a more comprehensive picture of teacher competences and attitudes within the faculty.
- Identify colleagues who have some awareness and/or interest in interactive teaching methods.
- Identify shared problems in student learning.
- Promote awareness of interactive teaching methods.
- Encourage and support implementation of interactive teaching methods.
Needs defined in STEM-CPD Roadmap
Competences
Attitudes
Activities
CPD activities at the local university
Step 1:
Use opportunities during informal conversations with colleagues and students to ask about their perceptions of and experience with interactive teaching methods.
Outcomes:
- Validation of (or revision of) my hypothesised learning progression framework with respect to collegues' and students' exposure to interactive teaching methods.
- Knowledge of which colleagues might have expertise that they could contribute to potential future CPD activities and which colleagues might have interest in developing their teaching practice through CPD activities. Foundations for developing a community of practice within the faculty.
- Opportunities to talk about my experiences with colleagues, mentor or be mentored, raise my profile within the faculty as someone who is motivated to teach well.
Step 2:
During meetings with colleagues about re-structuring the 'Biological Chemistry' and 'Total Synthesis' courses, ask probing questions about the learning outcomes and suggest interactive teaching activities that we could integrate into these courses.
Outcomes:
- Colleagues reflect on the course design and their teaching practice. This should promote discussions about shared challenges and potential solutions.
- Colleagues become aware of other teaching methods and might become motivated to learn more about them.
Step 3:
Implement interactive teaching methods in my section of the 'Total Synthesis' course next semester. Invite a more senior colleague to observe one of my lectures/sessions and give feedback. As if I can observe the lectures of one or two colleagues.
Outcomes:
- Students gain a (first) exposure to alternative teaching methods.
- Through discussions following these activities, colleagues might be inspired to try different teaching methods, students might begin to look for such methods in other courses, and I will hopefully receive some useful feedback to improve my own teaching.
Teaching and learning materials
- List of colleagues and students who I might be able to approach to discuss teaching practice.
- Informal 'rubric' based on my hypothesised learning progression framework to assess colleagues'/students' awareness of and experience with interactive teaching methods:
Level 4 - Awareness and regular implementation of interactive methods in everyday teaching practice.
Level 3 - Awareness and appreciation of interactive teaching methods, but unsure how to implement them in a given context.
Level 2 - Awareness that other teaching methods exist, but no exposure to them, or no desire to change teaching practice.
Level 1 - Awareness only of traditional lectures, exercises and laboratory practicals as chemistry teaching methods.
- Dynamic and (hopefully!) growing list of examples of interactive methods implemented in chemistry courses at TU Wien that can be used for discussions, future CPD activities, inspiration for other colleagues. Potentially even recognition down the track.
- Course and teaching materials for my section of 'Total Synthesis' course.
Sustainable implementation
This approach should start to establish the foundations of a potential 'community of practice' within the Faculty of Chemistry and promote discussion about different teaching practices. Students who are aware of and are exposed to interactive teaching methods will hopefully come to expect such interactive courses and implement small changes e.g. as tutors in the practical courses. Re-structuring of the biological chemistry courses might promote re-structuring of other courses down the track.
Expected impact of the CPD User Case
See Outcomes of the Steps 1-3:
- Validation of (or revision of) my hypothesised learning progression framework with respect to collegues' and students' exposure to interactive teaching methods.
- Knowledge of which colleagues might have expertise that they could contribute to potential future CPD activities and which colleagues might have interest in developing their teaching practice through CPD activities. Foundations for developing a community of practice within the faculty.
- Opportunities to talk about my experiences with colleagues, mentor or be mentored, raise my profile within the faculty as someone who is motivated to teach well.
- Colleagues reflect on the course design and their teaching practice. This should promote discussions about shared challenges and potential solutions.
- Colleagues become aware of other teaching methods and might become motivated to learn more about them.
- Students gain a (first) exposure to alternative teaching methods.
- Through discussions following these activities, colleagues might be inspired to try different teaching methods, students might begin to look for such methods in other courses, and I will hopefully receive some useful feedback to improve my own teaching.
Plans for eventual continuation of the CPD within the same topic
Ideas for future activities emerging out of this CPD initiative:
- Engagement with the Teaching and Learning Support centre at TU Wien.
- Establishment of mentor-mentee program for teaching within the faculty or peer-feedback program.
- Holding workshops or discussion groups on teaching and learning in higher education.
- Recognition of staff who invest in develping their teaching practices - possibly leading to some formal recognition or teaching certificate.
Developing confidence in sound course design, interactive teaching, and learning facilitation (type P1-1, P1-2, P1-3)
This CPD scenario describes a User case in which lecturers develop their competence in sound course design and designing interactive teaching and how to engage and motivate students and how to facilitate discipline specific thinking and how to facilitate student’s deep learning and development of higher cognitive skills and organizing peer-feedback and collaborative learning and develop attitudes in how to stay motivated and self-regulate their continuous professional development and reflecting on own teaching practice and practicing teaching and learning in an evidence informed way and knowledge sharing.
The approximate duration of a User case that follows this scenario is several months.
In this CPD scenario the participants professionalize in a close connection to their own teaching practice (at their workplace) and meet in person on location with the training staff and with other participants.
Competences
Attitudes
Learning environment
Time
Several months
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