18 October 2022
A course wide approach to reflective practice in engineering
In episode 57 of the Tales of Teaching Online podcast Laura Tubino speaks to Dr Ellen Moon about the ways in which she integrates reflective practice in the Environmental Engineering course.
Ellen talks about the impact implementing reflective practice has had in her own life and how she wanted to share this with her students. She explains how she extended GLO7: self-management with reflections on content, learning strategies and the university experience. She also shares the impact that reflexive practice has had on her students.
Goals of reflective practice
Ellen acknowledges reflective practice is a lifelong learning skill. By integrating self-reflection in her assessment, she aims to empower students to understand themselves better as learners. Through identifying what their learning preferences and challenges are, they will be able to apply appropriate strategies in future learning scenarios and in their everyday life.
Integrating reflective practice through the assessment
The benefits of incorporating reflective practice into her teaching have been two-fold; helping students become better learners and helping her become a better teacher. Students’ reflections have given Ellen an insight into what students need, which of her teaching strategies are working well, and what content is challenging for them. Ellen explores how that information helped her iterate her unit design to meet the needs of students.
For more information about how Ellen promoted reflective practice in her unit, listen to episode 57 of the Tales of Teaching Online podcast.