Peer Instruction Methods for Teaching in Satellite Engineering

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Peer Instruction Methods for Teaching in
Satellite Engineering
Dr. Vaios Lappas Lecturer in Space Vehicle
Control SCEPTrE Fellow Surrey Space
Centre FEPS Email v.lappas_at_surrey.ac.uk
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The Art of of Teaching

• Most teachers waste their time by asking
  questions which are intended to discover what a
  pupil does not know, whereas the true art of
  questioning has for its purpose to discover what
  the pupil knows or is capable of knowing.
• Albert Einstein

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SCEPTrE Fellowship

• PGCAP The Beginning
• SCEPTrE Becoming a Better Teacher
• SCEPTrE Education and Leadership
• Enquiry Based Learning Hands-On Teaching
• Enquiry through Peer Instruction can produce a
  measurable improvement in teaching and student
  understanding

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Enquiry for Teaching and Learning

• Enquiry for Teaching and Learning To bring a
  creative, motivational and effective level of
  understanding to solve complex problems through
  collaboration and hands on teaching and
  learning
• Teachers need to
• Be creative, enhancing the learning process
• Be motivational, inspire, attract student
  attention
• Be effective, a lot of complex material to be
  taught and learned in a short time
• Can Enquiry help us make a difference?

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Peer Instruction E. Mazur

• July 15-27 and December 1-7 visits to Harvard,
  Study Enquiry, Complex Learning
• Seminar at Surrey, March 7, 2008

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Hands-on Satellite Simulator
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ConcepTest Scores Before and After Discussion
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Feedback Scores-Teaching

• Average (2007) 4.67/5.0, Sample of 100 Students
• Average in past years (2002-2006) 4.0-4.3,
  Sample of 362 Students

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SCEPTrE Fellowship Outcomes

• Peer Instruction methodologies for teaching
  Satellite Engineering
• Lecturing Material
• Measurable improvement in teaching and student
  understanding
• Journal papers
• IEEE Journal of Education
• Research Collaboration with the Harvard
  Education Group
• Appointed Research Fellow at Harvard University
• Prof. Mazur Seminar, March 7, 2008
• Working towards a Certificate in Education and
  Leadership at the MIT Sloan Business School
• Short Course in Complex Problem Solving