Beyond anecdotes: How to assess what goes on in your classes

Abstract

New professors have many demands on their schedules and they often don't think about documenting and studying classroom practice. Doing so offers them insights and evidence as to what works in teaching. In order to be able to undertake evidence-based research of their teaching they need some practical advice on how to effectively and efficiently conduct such endeavors. While historically social science research has been hindered by skepticism of its validity and rigor, in truth educational research is not without protocols and standards. However, most beginning engineering faculty (and for that matter, seasoned engineering faculty) are not schooled in educational research and so the prospective of empirically studying what goes on in their classroom can be daunting. In this paper, we will share practical tips and suggestions on how to collect and analyze instructional data. Given the breadth of responsibilities that new faculty must take on, new professors need practical guidance on how they can contribute to engineering educational research. In this paper we share our hard-learned lessons on research approaches, data gathering, and analysis. We offer ideas that will help new professors streamline the process and approach these processes in an efficient and effective manner. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2009.