is a professor of chemical engineering at Bucknell University. She earned her B.S. in chemical en... more is a professor of chemical engineering at Bucknell University. She earned her B.S. in chemical engineering from Cornell University, and her M.S. and Ph.D., also in chemical engineering, from the University of Virginia. Her primary research focus is on engineering pedagogy at the undergraduate level. She is particularly interested in the teaching and learning of concepts related to thermodynamics. She is also interested in active, collaborative, and problem-based learning, and in the ways hands-on activities such as making, technology, and games can be used to improve student engagement.
A classroom observation instrument to assess student response to active learning
Student resistance is often cited as a major barrier to faculty's use of active learning, but... more Student resistance is often cited as a major barrier to faculty's use of active learning, but there are few research-based strategies for reducing this barrier. To address the need for such strategies, we have initiated a project to identify specific, research-based strategies to significantly reduce student resistance to faculty's use of active learning practices. In this work-in-progress paper, we describe the first phase of our research - the development and pilot testing of a classroom observation instrument to assess student responses to faculty's use of active learning. This instrument, which draws upon other published observation protocols, will allow us to capture data about faculty's use of and students' response to active learning as we undertake our larger research project.
Development of an observation protocol to study undergraduate engineering student resistance to active learning
International Journal of Engineering Education, 2015
Student resistance is often cited as a major barrier to instructors’ use of active learning, but ... more Student resistance is often cited as a major barrier to instructors’ use of active learning, but there are few research-basedstrategies for reducing this barrier. In this paper, we describe the first phase of our research—the development andvalidation of a classroom observation protocol to assess student responses to instructors’ use of active learning. Thisprotocol, which draws upon other published observation protocols, allows researchers to capture data about instructors’use of and students’ responses to active learning. We also present findings from four first and second year engineeringcourses at two institutions that demonstrate the variety of ways engineering students resist active learning and strategiesthat engineering instructors have employed to reduce student resistance.
International Journal of STEM Education, Mar 12, 2018
Background: Research has shown that active learning promotes student learning and increases reten... more Background: Research has shown that active learning promotes student learning and increases retention rates of STEM undergraduates. Yet, instructors are reluctant to change their teaching approaches for several reasons, including a fear of student resistance to active learning. This paper addresses this issue by building on our prior work which demonstrates that certain instructor strategies can positively influence student responses to active learning. We present an analysis of interview data from 17 engineering professors across the USA about the ways they use strategies to reduce student resistance to active learning in their undergraduate engineering courses. Results: Our data reveal that instructor strategies for reducing student resistance generally fall within two broad types: explanation and facilitation strategies. Explanation strategies consist of the following: (a) explain the purpose, (b) explain course expectations, and (c) explain activity expectations. Facilitation strategies include the following: (a) approach non-participants, (b) assume an encouraging demeanor, (c) grade on participation, (d) walk around the room, (e) invite questions, (f) develop a routine, (g) design activities for participation, and (h) use incremental steps. Four of the strategies emerged from our analysis and were previously unstudied in the context of student resistance. Conclusions: The findings of this study have practical implications for instructors wishing to implement active learning. There is a variety of strategies to reduce student resistance to active learning, and there are multiple successful ways to implement the strategies. Importantly, effective use of strategies requires some degree of intentional course planning. These strategies should be considered as a starting point for instructors seeking to better incorporate the use of active learning strategies into their undergraduate engineering classrooms.
Promoting lasting change in teaching practices through a summer immersion faculty development program
International Journal of Engineering Education, 2019
Despitedecades of effort,andbillions of dollarsinvestedto improveengineeringeducation, thereis st... more Despitedecades of effort,andbillions of dollarsinvestedto improveengineeringeducation, thereis still alack ofknowledgeon how to transform faculty into users of effective instructional strategies. This study concludes that instructionaldevelopment programs have a good potential for promoting lasting change in faculty when the design is based on a one-month summer immersion period with a stipend, and when it is aligned with all the stakeholder’s interests and concerns.After the faculty complete one week of workshops, the change process is compelled by the preparation of 60 standardizedlesson plans for two courses (30 per course), per participant, plus the requirement that they experiment with the newtechniques in the classroom. The study is based on N = 27 faculty members of civil, mechanical, electrical, computer, andindustrial engineering, and physics. Faculty and student survey results identify several successful impacts of the program,including faculty adoption of research-based instructional strategies and increased faculty and student satisfaction. Thesuccess of the program is attributed to its incorporation of several best practices suggested by the faculty developmentliterature. This article may be very practically relevant either to individual instructors who aspire to change their ownteaching practices, or to Heads of School and Departments who want to improve the teaching and learning activitiesthroughout their school as a whole, and who could use the description of the program as a suitable model to be followed.
SJSU). She has taught ten different courses, including core chemical engineering courses at the g... more SJSU). She has taught ten different courses, including core chemical engineering courses at the graduate and undergraduate levels, Biochemical Engineering lecture and laboratory courses and a bioethics general education course. She has research experience in the areas of biosensors, enzyme kinetics, cell culture, fermentation and bioprocess engineering. Among her professional positions, she has spent one year as a Visiting Scientist at Genencor, a Danisco Division, where she developed a metabolic flux model for an enzyme production process. Additionally, after her postdoctoral research at the ETH-Zurich, she obtained a Science and Diplomacy Fellowship from the American Association for the Advancement of Science to spend a year working in the U. S. Agency for International Development providing technical expertise to the Child Health Research Project which promoted research targeting the reduction of child mortality in third world countries. She has 19 publications and 2 patents, has received over $1MM in grants since joining SJSU. She currently serves on the Executive Committee of the ACS Biochemical Technology Division and on the advisory board of the Society of Biological Engineering.
Integrating quantitative and qualitative research methods to examine student resistance to active learning
European Journal of Engineering Education, Feb 15, 2018
ABSTRACT Engineering education researchers are increasingly integrating qualitative and quantitat... more ABSTRACT Engineering education researchers are increasingly integrating qualitative and quantitative research methods to study learning and retention in engineering. While quantitative methods can provide generalisable results, qualitative methods generate rich, descriptive understanding of the investigated phenomenon. On the other hand, a mixed methods approach provides benefits of the two approaches by incorporating them in a single study. However, engineering faculty often faces difficulty in integrating qualitative and quantitative methods and designs in their education research. This article discusses mixed methods in the context of an actual ongoing engineering education research project investigating student resistance to active learning. We describe the research design in phases that show the integration of quantitative and qualitative results, and how these data sources can help influence the direction of the research and triangulate findings. Our mixed method research experience highlights the importance of thinking iteratively between qualitative and quantitative data sources during the instrument development process.
Educational Psychologist, her research has focused on meaningful learning in science and engineer... more Educational Psychologist, her research has focused on meaningful learning in science and engineering education, approached from the perspective of Human Constructivism. She has been involved in collaborative research projects focused on conceptual learning in chemistry, seismology, and chemical engineering.
is a newly minted associate professor of chemical engineering at Bucknell University. Her researc... more is a newly minted associate professor of chemical engineering at Bucknell University. Her research interest in this topic stems from her own frustration in thermodynamics, and her profound hope we can find a way that people can "get it" the first time around!
Computer Simulations Versus Physical Experiments: A Gender Comparison of Implementation Methods of Inquiry-Based Heat Transfer Activities
Chemical engineering education, Sep 22, 2019
What Works for Conceptual Learning in Thermal Sciences? A Comparison of Laboratory, Simulation, and Demonstrations for Conceptual Learning in Heat Transfer
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Papers by Michael Prince