Special session : enhancing student learning using SCALE-UP format

SCALE-UP (Student-Centered Activities for Large Enrollment Undergraduate Programs) is a specialized active learning format that relies largely upon social interaction among students, instructor, and learning assistants. The instructor and learning assistants serve as facilitators of guided inquiry by asking students leading questions as they work through class assignments. On-going, real time formative assessments ensure that the instructor is constantly aware of which students are mastering the material and which are struggling. The SCALE-UP format is currently used at our institution in the General Engineering program (all sections of the first year courses), Math Sciences (all sections of first year calculus, and one section of second year calculus), Civil Engineering (one section of engineering statics), Mechanical Engineering (all sections of engineering statics and dynamics), as well as in courses in Horticulture, Nursing, English, and Computer Science. This special session focuses on strategies for successful implementation of this pedagogical innovation. These include development of student activities, formative assessments, training for instructors and learning assistants, and the physical features of the learning environment.