Use of Quality Teaching and Learning Circles in Engineering

The commercialisation of higher education, an increasingly diverse student population, the emphasis on educational technology and flexible delivery, the need to be internationally competitive and the increased regulation on quality standards, just to name a few factors, has seen a rapid transformation of the university system and the demands placed on the staff therein. Assisting staff to cope with such changes and providing them with the necessary skills to effectively contribute to the needs or goals of the institution requires sophisticated methods of professional development. This paper introduces one such method that is being implemented at the University of Wollongong. This method involves the creation of Quality Teaching and Learning Circles (QTLCs) to develop solutions for various teaching and learning issues. The QTLC extends beyond the normal teaching program team‘ to include an educational development and learning development lecturer, among others, to provide contextualised support and to link faculty initiatives to the policy and goals of the university. This method promotes reflective practice, cooperative learning and the ability to contribute to organisational learning, in effect establishing the conditions necessary for a leading learning organisation. The paper provides a rationale for the project, a description of a pilot QTLC in the Faculty of Engineering and a discussion on the issues and expected outcomes. Disciplines Arts and Humanities | Social and Behavioral Sciences Publication Details Percy, A., Vialle, W., Naghdy, F., Montgomery, D. & Turcotte, G. (2001). Enhancing Engineering courses through Quality Teaching and Learning Circles. In Proceedings of the Australian Association for Engineering Education 12th Annual Conference. (pp391-396). Brisbane, QLD: QUT. This conference paper is available at Research Online: http://ro.uow.edu.au/asdpapers/146 Percy, A., Vialle, W., Naghdy, F., Montgomery, D. & Turcotte, G. (2001). Enhancing Engineering courses through Quality Teaching and Learning Circles. In Proceedings of the Australian Association for Engineering Education 12th Annual Conference. (pp.391-396). Brisbane, QLD: QUT. Use of Quality Teaching and Learning Circles in Engineering Alisa Percy Learning Development, University of Wollongong Wilma Vialle Faculty of Education, University of Wollongong Fazel Naghdy School of Electrical, Computer and Telecommunications Engineering, University of Wollongong Denis Montgomery Faculty of Engineering, University of Wollongong Gerry Turcotte English Studies Program, University of Wollongong ABSTRACT: The commercialisation of higher education, an increasingly diverse student population, the emphasis on educational technology and flexible delivery, the need to be internationally competitive and the increased regulation on quality standards, just to name a few factors, has seen a rapid transformation of the university system and the demands placed on the staff therein. Assisting staff to cope with such changes and providing them with the necessary skills to effectively contribute to the needs or goals of the institution requires sophisticated methods of professional development. This paper introduces one such method that is being implemented at the University of Wollongong. This method involves the creation of Quality Teaching and Learning Circles (QTLCs) to develop solutions for various teaching and learning issues. The QTLC extends beyond the normal teaching program team‘ to include an educational development and learning development lecturer, among others, to provide contextualised support and to link faculty initiatives to the policy and goals of the university. This method promotes reflective practice, cooperative learning and the ability to contribute to organisational learning, in effect establishing the The commercialisation of higher education, an increasingly diverse student population, the emphasis on educational technology and flexible delivery, the need to be internationally competitive and the increased regulation on quality standards, just to name a few factors, has seen a rapid transformation of the university system and the demands placed on the staff therein. Assisting staff to cope with such changes and providing them with the necessary skills to effectively contribute to the needs or goals of the institution requires sophisticated methods of professional development. This paper introduces one such method that is being implemented at the University of Wollongong. This method involves the creation of Quality Teaching and Learning Circles (QTLCs) to develop solutions for various teaching and learning issues. The QTLC extends beyond the normal teaching program team‘ to include an educational development and learning development lecturer, among others, to provide contextualised support and to link faculty initiatives to the policy and goals of the university. This method promotes reflective practice, cooperative learning and the ability to contribute to organisational learning, in effect establishing the conditions necessary for a leading learning organisation. The paper provides a rationale for the project, a description of a pilot QTLC in the Faculty of Engineering and a discussion on the issues and expected outcomes.