VaNTH ERC for Bioengineering Educational Technologies

Training Future Bioengineering Faculty Using Learning Science/Technology Principles

The Vanderbilt-Northwestern-Texas-Harvard/MIT (VaNTH) Engineering Research Center for Bioengineering Educational Technologies has undertaken a systematic program to introduce bioengineering students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels to the applications of learning science and learning technology to instruction in bioengineering. At the undergraduate level, an extensive Research Experience for Undergraduates program has been established. In this program, undergraduates work with VaNTH in the summer to develop bioengineering instructional modules and systems based on the How People Learn (HPL) framework. Courses have been established to allow students to continue VaNTH research during the school year for credit.

At another level, VaNTH has developed workshops in learning science and learning technology for bioengineering graduate students and faculty. The goal of the workshop was to provide research-based pedagogy for teaching at the college level. Topics included current learning theory and curriculum design and research in effective teaching. Graduate students in the learning sciences and in computer engineering are pursuing thesis and dissertation research on VaNTH topics. An example of these students is seen in the figure. Dr. Monica Cox holds an MS in industrial engineering and completed a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership at Vanderbilt in 2005. She was the chair of the VaNTH Student Leadership Council and performed a dissertation on VaNTH research in classroom observation systems. She recently joined the faculty of Purdue University as Assistant Professor of Engineering Education. Three other VaNTH alumnae have recently joined faculties and are pursuing educational research.

Bioengineering graduate students participate in graduate projects through a year-long assignment as VaNTH fellows, during which they participate in a VaNTH project. This combination of didactic and research experiences is designed to provide graduate students with fundamentals in the VaNTH approach to learning and to prepare them for the teaching portion of their careers as faculty members.

To learn more about this topic:
Visit the VaNTH ERC for Bioengineering Educational Technologies web site at http://www.vanth.org/index.htm

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Monica Cox presides over the VaNTH Student
Leadership Council.

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Last modified: April 4, 2007