Assessing teaching effectiveness in higher education

Abstract

Recently, a robust tool for assessment of different teaching methodologies in engineering education has been developed by the consortium of the iTeach project (www.iteach-chemeng.eu). The tool was initially tested for its applicability in teaching units of chemical engineering education, evaluating several educational approaches used to deliver core knowledge and employability competences in different geographical and educational contexts. After some modifications, the framework was subjected to a wider testing, including teaching units that are part of other engineering disciplines, but also, extended to other higher education disciplines. In the presented case-study, the framework, including six metrics, was used in the assessment of two pedagogical approaches, practical instructions via lab and self-instruction delivery, applied in the teaching units Microbiology and Engineering Economy, respectively. Necessary data were collected by online surveys, carried out among four target groups of stakeholders, i.e. academics, employers, graduates and students. The results of this testing will be presented and discussed.