Richard Felder's Home Page

RESOURCES IN SCIENCE AND
ENGINEERING EDUCATION


Richard M. Felder

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College teaching may be the only skilled profession for which no preparation or training is provided or required. You get a Ph.D., join a faculty, they show you your office, and then tell you "By the way, you're teaching 205 next semester. See you later." The result is the consistent use of teaching techniques that have repeatedly been shown to be ineffective at promoting learning. Many professors are surprised to learn that...
  • There are well-defined instructional techniques that make teaching more effective.
  • These techniques can be introduced slowly and methodically, without compromising coverage of the syllabus. They do not require large expenditures of money, time, and effort.
  • Most importantly, the techniques have been validated by careful, documented, repeatable research. Their effectiveness is not simply a matter of opinion. They work!
This Web site offers guidance on what those techniques are and tips and resources for using them. If you have a specific aspect of teaching in mind, click on the link to "Education-related papers" on the left and then click on your topic if it is listed. Otherwise, just enjoy browsing.

Dr. Richard M. Felder is the Hoechst Celanese Professor Emeritus of Chemical Engineering at North Carolina State University. He is coauthor of Elementary Principles of Chemical Processes, an introductory chemical engineering text now in its third edition. He has contributed over 200 publications to the fields of science and engineering education and chemical process engineering, and writes "Random Thoughts," a column on educational methods and issues for the quarterly journal Chemical Engineering Education. With his wife and colleague, Dr. Rebecca Brent, he codirects the National Effective Teaching Institute (NETI) and regularly offers teaching effectiveness workshops on campuses and at conferences around the world. He has seven spectacular grandchildren.

What's new? As of May 9, 2013

"You Got Questions, We Got Answers. 1. Miscellaneous Issues." Chem. Engr. Education, 47(1), 25-26 (Winter 2013). Keeping course preparation time reasonable (especially for new preps), what and what not to do with PowerPoint, making course content relevant.

"You Got Questions, We Got Answers. 2. Active Learning." Chem. Engr. Education, 47(2), 97-98 (Spring 2013). Why do it? How do we know it works? How much should you do in a class session? Can I use it for long problem solutions and derivations? Can I use it online?

"New STEM Faculty Support: Why Aren't We Providing It?" Journal of STEM Education, 13(5), 5-6 (2012). Challenging the traditional university assumption that all new faculty hires already know how to teach effectively, start and build a successful research program, and meet the time demands imposed by teaching, research, and trying to have a life.

Comments or questions? Send mail to Dr. Felder at rmfelder@mindspring.com