5-14-08

Media Release

Workshop to Outline “Concept Based” Instruction

CORVALLIS, Ore. - A workshop on “concept-based instruction” to promote active learning in the classroom will be held Wednesday, May 21, at Oregon State University.

Supported by the L.L. Stewart Scholar Program, the interactive workshop will be conducted from 9-10:30 a.m. in Owen Hall Room 241. It is designed for OSU faculty but is also free and open to the public, and will be presented by Milo Koretsky, associate professor of chemical, biological and environmental engineering.

Traditional instruction, educators say, often leads to high levels of rote learning, but less ability to address conceptual problems. An emphasis on “concept based” instruction, on the other hand, can create a higher level of cognition in which problems are solved by applying fundamental principles to any of a variety of entirely new problems.

The workshop will introduce instructors to the web-based Interactive Science and Engineering Learning Tool. It incorporates the use of laptop computers so that every student in a class is simultaneously engaged, and more real-time feedback and discussion is possible for the instructor.

Koretsky is an award-winning educator, textbook author and was recognized as the first Stewart Scholar at OSU, a designation that included $20,000 to support his research. He is studying new ways to help engineering students develop advanced problem-solving skills and deeper cognitive processes, as well as ways the engineering curricula may be changed systemically to support these goals.