Indianapolis, Indiana
June 14, 2014
June 14, 2014
June 14, 2014
Student Development
9
20.3.1 - 20.3.9
10.18260/1-2--17166
https://strategy.asee.org/17166
3355
Rami J. Haddad is an Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering in the Department of Electrical Engineering at Georgia Southern University. Dr. Haddad received his B.Sc. degree in Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering from the Applied Sciences University, Amman, Jordan. He received his M.Sc. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Minnesota Duluth, Duluth, MN. He received his Ph.D. degree from the University of Akron, Akron, OH. Dr. Haddad is a member in IEEE, OSA, CUR, and ASEE professional organizations. His research interests include various aspects of optical fiber communication/networks, broadband networks, multimedia communications, multimedia bandwidth forecasting, STEM education and engineering pedagogy.
Youakim Kalaani is an Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering in the Department of Electrical Engineering at Georgia Southern University. Dr. Kalaani received his B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from Cleveland State University (CSU). He graduated from CSU with M.S. and Doctoral degrees in Electrical Engineering with concentration in power systems. Dr. Kalaani is a licensed professional engineer (PE) and an ABET Program Evaluator (PA). He is a member of IEEE and has research interests in distributed power generations, optimization, and engineering education
Adaptive Teaching: An Effective Approach for Learner-Centered Classrooms ABSTRACTWith the recent focus on student achievement, teachers are striving to improve the quality oftheir instruction methods to achieve a learner-centered environment in their classrooms. Thedifference in the students’ level of achievement in any specific course is mainly due to thedifference in the students’ aptitude for learning “Learning Style”. Unfortunately, the statictraditional teaching style “Chalk-&-Talk” which is still being used in engineering schools doesnot adapt to the changes in the cognitive profile of the student cohorts which reflects negativelyon the students’ achievement and performance, especially in engineering.In this paper, we discuss our approach on how to achieve adaptive teaching which leads to amore efficient learner-centered environment. Based on the Felder and Silverman index oflearning styles, there are four dimensions for the aptitude for learning which are active/reflectivelearners, sensing/intuitive learners, visual/verbal learners, and sequential/global learners. Thedifferent conglomeration of these dimensions for the students in any cohort form a specificcognitive profile. We used the Felder and Silverman index of learning styles survey to determinethe dominant learning styles within a cohort of students. Knowing the students’ cognitive profilehelped us adapt our teaching styles to achieve an optimal learner-centered classroom. We mainlyfocused on activities that would engage the majority of the students, to help facilitate the learningprocess and consequently, improve the students’ achievement. The effectiveness of this approachwas qualitatively and quantitatively verified by assessing the students’ performance usingtraditional teaching activities and activities tailored towards the students’ learning styles.
Haddad, R. J., & Kalaani, Y. (2014, June), Adaptive Teaching: An Effective Approach for Learner-Centered Classrooms Paper presented at 2014 ASEE International Forum, Indianapolis, Indiana. 10.18260/1-2--17166
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