advances in engineering education - Leveraging Multi-university collaboration to develop Portable and adaptable online course content

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Terk

Innovative STEM teaching materials are often confined to their originating faculty circles because adoption barriers are widespread. This paper presents evidence that targeting adaptation—not full adoption—can improve uptake when faculty from multiple institutions collaboratively develop portable learning modules. In the described case, partners built online modules for wireless sensor networks that integrate systems thinking with electrical and computer engineering sub-disciplines, delivered in a blended-learning format and adapted for use across several universities.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Design for Adaptation

Blended learning approach

| Ad | vances in engineering edu | cation | | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | | | | | | | | | | | | winter 2013 LeVerAGinG MULti-UniVerSitY COLLABOrAtiOn tO DeVeLOP POrtABLe AnD ADAPtABLe OnLine COUrSe COntent Jeff frolik University of Vermont Burlington, VT PAUl G. flikkeMA Northern Arizona University flagstaff, AZ ToM Weller University of South florida Tampa, fl CArol HAdeN Magnolia Consulting llC Charlottesville, VA WAyNe SHiroMA University of Hawaii Manoa, Hi ANd rHoNdA frANkliN University of Minnesota Minneapolis, MN ABStrACt individual faculty and institutions regularly develop novel educational materials that could benefit others, but these innovations often fail to gain traction outside the developers’ circle as barriers to adoption are numerous. We present evidence that development targeting adaptation, rather than complete adoption, of innovative materials and methods may be a more successful approach. Specifically, if faculty members from multiple institutions are involved in the development, agility across diverse academic requirements and institutional cultures informs that [process. in](process. in) the described example, faculty members from multiple institutions developed online learning modules based on their individual areas of expertise related to the topic of wireless sensor networks. The modules integrated learning of systems thinking with traditional sub-disciplines in electrical and computer engineering and were delivered in a blended-learning format. While faculty from three institutions advances in engineering education Leveraging Multi-university collaboration to develop Portable and adaptable online course content developed the original content for a single course, materials have been successfully utilized in multiple courses at several institutions. Keywords: Systems thinking education, Multi-university collaboration, Blended learning intrODUCtiOn our nation spends significant resources to continuously improve STeM education. for example, NSf’s division of Undergraduate education, one part of its directorate for education and Human resources, spends approximately $290M annually. expectations for transformation of undergraduate STeM education have not been met, however, since new techniques, tools, and paradigms are not easy to integrate into curricula beyond the institutions involved in the development process [1] . faculty members cite situational factors that prevent them from implementing new methods or materials into their teaching [2] . These factors include lack of time to explore and implement new teaching strategies and materials, pressure to “cover the material,” and constraints on student time. faculty also report lack of resources at the departmental level; this can also inhibit the adoption of new materials [3] . in this paper, we argue that the diffusion of innovative educational practices should be addressed as an intrinsic part of their development. first, we propose that the goal should not be full adoption of innovations, but adaptation (including partial adoption) of them to use in existing courses. The goal of full adoption is often unattainable because restructuring at the course level is too disruptive. in addition, curricula and course content vary from institution to institution and thus so does the background and knowledge base of students. Thus, we should design for portability, so that learning resources can be easily modified and adapted to local environments, increasing the likelihood that curricular innovations will be used [5] . Second, innovations in education are often developed within the unique environment and culture of a single institution, and where faculty and administrative buy-in follow from the external funding. This paper describes the Multi-University Systems education (MUSe) project, involving the participation of electrical and computer engineering faculty from four universities (University of Ver

FAQs

Why do innovative educational materials often fail to gain traction beyond their developers’ circles?

Adoption barriers are numerous, including limited time to explore and implement new strategies, pressure to “cover the material,” student-time constraints, and lack of departmental resources.

What is the proposed goal for spreading educational innovations?

The paper argues for adaptation (including partial adoption) of innovations within existing courses, rather than pursuing complete adoption, which is often too disruptive.

How does the MUSe project approach portability across universities?

It develops online modules by faculty from multiple institutions so agility across diverse academic requirements and institutional cultures can inform how content is adapted to local environments.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Terk