(112b) “High Performance Learning Environments [Hi-Pele]: Role Of Team Functions On The Design, Implementation, And Assessment.”

Sound pedagogical and high retention instructional environments must be learned-centered, i.e. they must allow the students to explore, compare, and critically use their thinking in understanding a new piece; they need to have a knowledge-centered characteristic so that students can know not only facts, concepts, principles and values but also when they need to apply the tools. As in research and development in an engineering discipline, effective learning environments must allow for the students to assess and validate their progress, i.e. be assessment-centered in understanding a new piece so that they can eliminate misconceptions and have chances to improve what they know. Finally, these environments need to be community-centered so that the students can actually build their new knowledge, connect with and ?engineering culture,? and growth professionally.

High Performance Learning Environments or Hi-PeLE are unique in the sense that they capture the four centerness described above not only by using typical learning cycles but also by adding a linear engineering sequence. This important aspect uses functional-team based learning and highlights the use of an experimental prototype that it is not usually present in others environments. Hi-PeLE also promote life long learning by documentation cycles and reduce effectively the number of subjects in a course by employing ?principal objects of knowledge? (POK's) . Hi-PeLE has been very successful at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, Mississippi State University, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, and Tennessee Tech in promoting very high level of critical thinking and student readiness.

In this presentation, the authors will describe the pivotal role of the team-bsed learning and the optimal preparation needed by both student and instructor in achieving the successful outcomes of the approach. Also, avenues for further work in research will be highlighted.

References: Bransford et al., ?How People Learn: Mind, Brain, Experience and School?, National Academic Press, 1999. Arce, P. and L. Schreiber, ?High Performance Learning Environments,? Chem. Eng. Education, Fall 2004. Stacey Klein ?Legacy Cycle Workshop?, Tennessee Tech University, March 2007. Sauer, S. and P. Arce, ?Team Member Selection: A Functional-based Approach?, ASEE Proceeding, 2003. Arce, P.; J. Biernacki, and P. Melton, ?The Experimental Prototype?, ASEE National Meeting, 2006. Ralling, R.; S. Allen; and P. Arce, ?Personalized Class Binders, PCB?. AIChE Annual, 2005. Arce, P. ?The Colloquial Approach?, Journal of Science Education and Technology (1994).