Integrating Active Pedagogy into Engineering Education: Perspectives from the SPARK-ENG Professional Learning Program

Abstract

The need to shift from traditional to active pedagogy in higher engineering education has garnered significant attention. In response to institutional demand for supporting our engineering educators, we developed SPARK-ENG (Scholarship of Pedagogy and Application of Research Knowledge in Engineering), a modular professional learning program at a major Canadian university. This study explored how engineering educators integrate active pedagogy into their teaching practices through their engagement with the program. Using situated learning theory and the model of teacher change as theoretical frameworks, along with thematic analysis for data interpretation, we found that participants employed a variety of strategies to understand and integrate active pedagogy in post-secondary engineering courses, and student learning, which positively influenced their professional growth. This study captures what active pedagogy looks like in the context of engineering educators’ engagement with the SPARK-ENG program, providing an example for empowering educators to integrate active pedagogy into their teaching practices.