Views and Concerns with Regard to Teaching Geotechnical Engineering: Viable Strategies for the Classroom Environment

Amongst the many challenges that engineering education faces today, is the need for faculty to update their teaching skills, and continue to learn new approaches to teaching and learning, which in turn requires effective professional development for both new and experienced faculty alike. This paper focuses on “viable teaching-learning” strategies for potential adoption by engineering educators, strategies pertaining to: (i) planning courses, (ii) conducting courses, and (iii) developing positive learning environment, in and outside the classroom, are explored and supplemented with suggestions based on the experience of the author. It is also argued that colleges of engineering would excel at teaching and learning when the majority of the faculty develop and achieve a reasonable level of professional pedagogical knowledge. Engaging students in learning is primarily the responsibility of the instructor who must take necessary steps to improve his/ her skills of effective teaching, including the use of cooperative learning in particular. Also, students’ varied learning styles ought to be recognized and addressed. For the reforms in engineering education to be enacted, the culture of engineering colleges has to evolve to the point where the changes advocated would be reinforced by an explicit set of expectations, a support structure, and a compatible faculty reward system.