Two decades of supporting innovative engineering education
The Center for Research on Learning and Teaching in Engineering (CRLT-Engin) marks its 20th anniversary with an expanded orientation for new faculty.
Michigan Engineering News
The Center for Research on Learning and Teaching in Engineering (CRLT-Engin) knows that good teaching doesn’t happen by accident, and they’ve got 20 years of experience to prove it.
An offshoot of the University of Michigan Center for Research on Learning and Teaching, CRLT–Engin is the only teaching center at U-M dedicated to a specific school or college, and one of just a few in the country serving engineering schools.
They’ve served as a hub for engineering educators since 2004, providing expertise and support for innovative instruction that improves student learning. Using evidence-based practices in engineering education, a core component of their mission is championing inclusive and equity-focused teaching strategies so that students and instructors from diverse backgrounds and social identities can learn and thrive. Because of their efforts, all new faculty at Michigan Engineering are trained in inclusive and equity-focused teaching practices.
“CRLT-Engin has become woven into the fabric of Michigan Engineering by providing evidence-based teaching support for all instructors, while also collaborating with departments and the College to further the teaching mission and educational priorities,” said CRLT-Engin Director Tershia Pinder-Grover. “We truly believe that we not only promote excellence and innovation, but we customize our work so that it resonates with the needs of the engineering community that we serve.”
Their impact is extensive. Since CRLT-Engin’s founding, they’ve led over 9,000 new instructors through comprehensive teaching orientations that include a range of topics, from creating learner-centered syllabi to incorporating GenAI into the classroom. Out of all current Michigan Engineering instructors, 95% have participated in a CRLT-Engin event or service since the center began.
One of their major milestones has been the establishment of the NSF-funded Teaching Equity-Centered Engineering Center, in partnership with the Office of the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education, Center for Socially Engaged Engineering & Design and Marsal Family School of Education. Through this work, CRLT-Engin is equipping faculty with the tools they need to establish a learning environment that successfully combines equity-centered engineering values with social and technical course elements.
CRLT-Engin staff recently covered their strategies and support at their flagship event: an orientation session for new faculty members at Michigan Engineering, now expanded from a half to a full day in response to faculty feedback.
The event focuses on getting started with equity-focused teaching, refining plans for the fall term and meeting colleagues. Scott Dexter, incoming lecturer III in the Division of Computer Science and Engineering, noted the event’s emphasis on evidence-based practices to support students.
“I really appreciated the strong focus on teaching, and on the ways that best practices in teaching align so strongly with Michigan Engineering’s emphasis on people-first engineering,” said Dexter. “I hadn’t realized the depth of research and evidence that exists on how instructors can most effectively support STEM students in learning successfully.”
For incoming Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering Bradley Biggs, the panel discussion with current faculty sparked ideas for student engagement that he can incorporate right away.
“It was mentioned that the first day of lecture sets a strong tone for connection with the students,” said Biggs. “It was a great reminder to be very conscientious about how I shape the classroom environment from the start.”
CRLT-Engin’s support extends to all faculty, not just new hires. Their expert consultants help faculty design (or redesign) a course, implement new technology, incorporate equity-centered engineering into their teaching, and gather and analyze student feedback. They also build community and support continuous learning through professional development workshops, teaching circles and communities of practice.
As they look ahead to the next 20 years, CRLT-Engin plans to expand their collaborations with departments working to enhance and evolve their curricula. This work so far has included analyzing existing student success data for evidence of inequities in outcomes or experience, collaborating with faculty to develop sustainable processes to reveal gaps or overlaps in the curriculum and to review and enhance courses, and facilitating faculty conversations to review customized visualizations of data and discuss action plans.
”For 20 years, CRLT-Engin has been elevating the quality of education at Michigan Engineering,” said Mingyan Liu, associate dean for academic affairs and Alice L. Hunt Collegiate Professor of Engineering. “Their expertise has had and will continue to have a profound impact on the way we teach engineering and the way our students learn.”
If you have been impacted by the work of CRLT-Engin, their team invites you to share your story to help them commemorate 20 years of excellence and innovation in engineering education.