INSTRUCTOR-STUDENT DYNAMICS MAPPING PROTOCOL DESIGN FOR A GEOMATICS ENGINEERING CLASSROOM

The discipline of Geomatics Engineering evolved from Survey Engineering in response to the rapid development of technologies. Two University of Calgary courses, ENGO 343: Fundamentals of Surveying and ENGO 363: Estimation and Statistical Testing, are core courses taken by second-year Geomatics Engineering students, where they often have trouble grasping the content. Instructors restructured the courses to transition from a traditional lecture-centric classroom into an active learning environment. A longitudinal study was designed to map instructor-student dynamic in a classroom, using classroom behaviour to assess student learning. An independent third-party observed a given lecture by recording the actions of the instructor and students. The pilot was successful, and the study moved forward to Phase 2 in Winter 2019 using a revised observation protocol based on the Interactive-Constructive-Active-Passive (ICAP) Framework. lectures in ENGO 343 and ENGO 363, as well as lectures, labs, and tutorials for ENGG 407: Numerical Methods in Engineering were observed, where student and instructor actions at every 2-minute intervals were recorded using a list of pre-determined action codes. Different teaching styles inform the distribution of observed codes. Instructor must facilitate more active learning events, specifically Constructive and Interactive learning opportunities, to retain student engagement. The current protocol is revised to capture the complex student-student dynamics in a non-instructor-led classroom setting.