Events

Reflections on Engineering Education: Perspectives from Cornell University (followed by workshop on collaborative learning environments)

Dr Folashade A. Taiwo, Dr Alexandra Werth and Dr Alexandra Coso Strong

SEMS Centre for Research in Engineering and Material Education (CREME) are excited to invite you to meet our international speakers Dr Alexandra Werth and Dr Alexandra Coso Strong from Cornell University. Along with sharing their expertise, they will also present the expanding initiative of "embedded" engineering education research at Cornell. Following these two talks, you will have the opportunity to engage in action research led by Dr Folashade A. Taiwo focussing collaborative learning environments, with an emphasis on experiences related to group based projects and teamwork.

Biographies & Abstracts:

Alexandra Werth is an assistant professor at the Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, where she has been a faculty member since Fall 2023. Her research focuses on Engineering Education Research (EER), a subfield of Discipline-Based Education Research (DBER) that explores how students learn within engineering contexts. She is particularly interested in developing evidence-based teaching methodologies and educational tools to create authentic and effective learning environments. Werth brings a dual perspective as both an education researcher and a trained engineer. She earned her Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Princeton University, where she developed a non-invasive mid-infrared glucose sensor using quantum cascade laser spectroscopy and machine learning for diabetes management. She then pursued postdoctoral research in physics education at the University of Colorado Boulder, focusing on undergraduate instructional labs. Notably, she played a key role in designing and assessing the first large-enrollment introductory physics Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE).

In this talk, Werth will highlight the pressing need for the development of new research-based assessment tools for measuring complex educational constructs in these authentic learning environments, such as engineering mindsets and teamwork skills. She will present recent findings from her group, including insights from a nationwide survey of over 100 faculty on their values and challenges related to teamwork. Additionally, she will introduce novel approaches leveraging generative AI to move beyond traditional Likert-scale instruments, improving both data collection quality and scalability in educational research.

Alexandra Coso Strong is an Associate Professor at Cornell University, with a joint appointment in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and the Systems Engineering Program. She joined Cornell after co-founding Florida International University’s School of Universal Computing, Construction and Engineering Education and co-developing a Ph.D. in Engineering and Computing Education and a B.S. in Interdisciplinary Engineering. Coso Strong received her degrees in aerospace and systems engineering. Her current research focuses on approaches for sustainable change within engineering education and how we, as educators, can prepare the next generation of engineers to develop solutions to complex global challenges.

During the session, Coso Strong will discuss her work focused on engineering educators. Over the last several years, Coso Strong has conducted research about and engaged in instructional professional development of faculty and graduate students in the United States. Grounding the research in an understanding of the complex contexts where engineering educators work, she will share key findings about motivations for professional development and approaches for supporting innovation within the classroom environment.

If you are unable to join in person, you can join via MS Teams.