Proof Positive
If it bleeds, it leads. This old news adage highlights how tragedy grabs eyeballs. But these days it seems like the headlines are particularly grim. Doom and gloom feel pervasive—from the rise of the COVID-19 delta variant to natural disasters exacerbated by human-caused climate change to continued injustices against people of color—and more. It takes effort to remember that good news exists too, and to seek it out. In our cover feature, Chief Correspondent Thomas Grose offers a dose of positivity: a roundup of lessons learned from the pandemic-driven switch to online learning that instructors want to carry forward. With examples drawn from interviews and ASEE 2021 virtual conference papers, the feature focuses on technologies and approaches rising from the ashes of upheaval that have not only helped make online learning more effective but also provide new ideas to improve in-person learning in the non-pandemic future. After all, engineers are educated to solve tough challenges. As Grose writes, engineering instructors put to use their training in “designing under constraint, testing new systems, failing, and finding solutions.”
One institution, McMaster University in Ontario, provides a case study of how to quickly pivot: The university not only continued the redesign of its first-year curriculum but also moved it online while still ensuring collaboration and peer-to-peer learning. Others’ successes can, as one Annual Conference paper noted, provide insights into how to better plan for later emergencies that may require virtual learning, improving schools’ overall flexibility and preparedness. But while we focus on the good, we can’t forget what needs improvement or requires caution. Grose also points to some concerning trends to watch.
Our teaching feature, by Deputy Editor Mary Lord, also provides ways to amplify the good and avoid the bad, with advice on how to craft effective peer reviews without being “a jerk.” Many of the suggestions—such as “check your tongue,” “embrace reform,” and “do unto others”—could extend beyond the topic and these pages.
And in the Last Word, Adedeji Badiru, dean of the Air Force Institute of Technology’s Graduate School of Engineering and Management, examines a phenomenon—commercial space travel—that has garnered decidedly mixed reactions. In his opinion, the trend will benefit engineering education.
Need more good news? Don’t miss all the great work ASEE is doing with P–12 education. Read about the Society’s efforts in ASEE Today and submit your additional ideas.
Here’s hoping you can take a minute or two to consider the good in your life. In the midst of improvisation and adaptation, it can be difficult to judge the impact of your work. But as this month’s Prism attests, each of you is making a difference for your students, communities, and society.
Eva Miller
e.miller@asee.org