Adoption of a Non-Lecture Pedagogy in Chemical Engineering: Insights Gained from Observing an Adopter

Abstract

Promoting the adoption of an alternative pedagogy can be a difficult process. Many professors are not interested in significantly modifying how they teach their course. Those that are interested in pedagogical reform still have concerns that must be addressed before or during an implementation. This paper documents a stepwise adoption of an alternative pedagogy, with special emphasis on the insights given by the adopting professor. It also becomes clear that we cannot convince instructors to adopt alternate pedagogy through data. They must either have a predisposition to try, or experience the pedagogy themselves so that they can see the added value.