The influence of external forces, institutional forces, and academics' characteristics on the adoption of positive teaching practices across australian undergraduate engineering

Knight, DB; Cameron, IT; Hadgraft, RG; Reidsema, C

The influence of external forces, institutional forces, and academics' characteristics on the adoption of positive teaching practices across australian undergraduate engineering

Knight, DB Cameron, IT Hadgraft, RG

Reidsema, C

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Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: International Journal of Engineering Education, 2016, 32 (2), pp. 695 - 711
Issue Date:: 2016-01-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Knight, DB	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Cameron, IT	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Hadgraft, RG https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0480-7456	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Reidsema, C	en_US
dc.date.issued	2016-01-01	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	International Journal of Engineering Education, 2016, 32 (2), pp. 695 - 711	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	0949-149X	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/98088
dc.description.abstract	© 2016 TEMPUS Publications. This study investigates how academics' personal beliefs, perspectives on institutional forces, and perspectives on external influences relate to their teaching and learning decision-making. Using a national-level survey of Australian engineering academics (n = 591; 16% of Australia's engineering academics), analyses investigate (1) how influences external and internal to the university environment vary across characteristics of academics, and (2) how academics' characteristics, organizational features, and external drivers relate to issues informing academics' teaching and their actual teaching practices. External and internal influences differed across academics based on their individual characteristics and university contexts, and academics' individual characteristics explained the greatest variability in their teaching considerations and practices. For external influences (e.g., accreditation), promoting awareness of educational goals for undergraduate engineering-as opposed to forcing outcomes into course planning-relates to more desirable teaching and learning practices. No internal institutional policy driver related to teaching practice variables. This study points to informed, professional development that seeks to capitalize on academics' personal interests and characteristics and assists in helping them understand how curricula and outcomes may better align to help student learning. Findings support working from a bottom-up model of change to improve the teaching and learning culture within engineering programs.	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	International Journal of Engineering Education	en_US
dc.subject.classification	Education	en_US
dc.title	The influence of external forces, institutional forces, and academics' characteristics on the adoption of positive teaching practices across australian undergraduate engineering	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	2	en_US
utslib.citation.volume	32	en_US
utslib.for	0999 Other Engineering	en_US
utslib.for	09 Engineering	en_US
utslib.for	13 Education	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology
utslib.copyright.status	open_access
pubs.issue	2	en_US
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	32	en_US

Abstract:

© 2016 TEMPUS Publications. This study investigates how academics' personal beliefs, perspectives on institutional forces, and perspectives on external influences relate to their teaching and learning decision-making. Using a national-level survey of Australian engineering academics (n = 591; 16% of Australia's engineering academics), analyses investigate (1) how influences external and internal to the university environment vary across characteristics of academics, and (2) how academics' characteristics, organizational features, and external drivers relate to issues informing academics' teaching and their actual teaching practices. External and internal influences differed across academics based on their individual characteristics and university contexts, and academics' individual characteristics explained the greatest variability in their teaching considerations and practices. For external influences (e.g., accreditation), promoting awareness of educational goals for undergraduate engineering-as opposed to forcing outcomes into course planning-relates to more desirable teaching and learning practices. No internal institutional policy driver related to teaching practice variables. This study points to informed, professional development that seeks to capitalize on academics' personal interests and characteristics and assists in helping them understand how curricula and outcomes may better align to help student learning. Findings support working from a bottom-up model of change to improve the teaching and learning culture within engineering programs.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/98088