Supporting Teaching and Learning in Engineering Disciplines in an Evolving Leadership Role

In this paper, the author discusses some of the best practices for faculty in leadership roles, that help enhance and retain the focus on improving teaching and learning at a research university. At the research universities, as external funding is received and faculty get more involved in high quality research, the focus often tends to shift from high quality teaching and implementation of best practices in classrooms to spending more energy, time, and resources towards research. Similarly, academic administrators often tend to spend less time focusing on high quality teaching and more time on day-to-day administrative responsibilities. In this paper, the author highlights some of the best practices that senior faculty members and administrators can adopt to continue the same level of rigor and high-quality teaching. A survey of engineering educators in leadership roles is conducted to determine the best practices, tips, and recommendations for increasing the quality of teaching. The results of the survey will be discussed.