Interactive session: introduction to concept-based instruction

The session focuses on the role of concepts in student learning. Most engineering courses are oriented more toward helping students develop problem-solving skills than on understanding the underlying concepts. A lack of conceptual understanding hinders the student's ability to solve new problems. Concept-based instruction acknowledges that understanding concepts are the key to understanding a subject and extending knowledge to new problems and areas. In this session participants will work in groups to develop a methodology for identifying the concepts in their field that students have difficulty with, formulating concept questions that test knowledge of the concept, and implementing concept-based instruction in the classroom. The goal of the session is to help instructors develop a holistic understanding on the relation between concept instruction and student learning.