Learning Contracts and Engineering Education

This research presents a new concept - Organizational Learning Contracts (OLC). These "contracts" represent shared understandings among faculty, students and staff about what is to be learned and how. OLC can vary from being low in shared understandings and quite general (weak) to very detailed and specific understandings about what is to be learned and the multiple learning environments needed to achieve the desired learning (strong). Data are presented to illustrate the positive impact of strong learning contracts on students' attitudes about their learning environment, models of learning and identification toward their institution in engineering schools.