Effective teaching and active learning of engineering courses with workbook strategy

Abstract

Often mismatches between learning and teaching styles arise because students are in majority visual and sensing learners, and most instructors are intuitive and reflective learners. Beside that, textbooks also have their own styles, and their contents, depth of coverage of materials, and organization may affect the teaching and learning environment. Instructor, as the primary selector of the textbook, has the responsibility in providing students with effective teaching strategy. Here, we present a new strategy called the 'workbook strategy," which integrates these four elements: (i) classroom analysis, (ii) use of workbook beside textbook, (iii) group work, and (iv) use of 'blackboard' as information technology. The workbook strategy provides verbal and visual elements of the course material in an organized way, and relates fundamentals to applications. Such strategy may reduce the mismatches between learning and teaching styles, and hence improves active learning, critical thinking, and problem solving skills. Most of the students who are exposed to the workbook strategy have found it very effective in their learning.