Title: Enhancing Engineering Courses through Quality Teaching and Learning Circles
Abstract: The characteristics of higher education have radically changed over the last decade. Commercialisation of universities has brought about an age of expansion, accountability and assessment for tertiary education. Such developments have created new challenges for Engineering Departments. 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 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 background on the project in the context of learning organisations, a description of a pilot QTLC in the Faculty of Engineering and a discussion on the issues and expected outcomes.
Publication Year: 2001
Publication Date: 2001-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
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Cited By Count: 2
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