Diffusion of Instructional Innovation in Engineering Education

1
Diffusion of Instructional Innovationin
Engineering Education
SUCCEED

• Robert C. Serow Carl F. Zorowski
• North Carolina State University
• Raleigh, NC USA

Southeastern University and College Coalition for
Engineering Education
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Background

• NSF created EEC - early 1990s
• Revitalize US engineering education to meet
  industry and national needs
• Goals
• Develop new curriculum models, components
  and processes
• Disseminate results nationally for adoption
  and implementation

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Innovation Diffusion Study

• Deterrents to diffusion of educational
  innovations
• not invented here syndrome
• cost, content, delivery, appropriateness . .
  other factors?
• Study successfully diffused SUCCEED products
• Determine factors that promote success

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Rogers Criteria

• Diffusion of products and ideas
• Belief - good ones will sell themselves
• Fact - diffusion is disappointingly slow
• Optimal conditions
• Relative advantage
• Compatibility
• Complexity
• Trialability and Observability

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Method

• Select six recognized good products
• Perform case studies of diffusion and
  adoption success - 1997-99
• Data gathering methods -
• Interviews - project director and participants,
  faculty, campus administrators, distributor
  representatives, adopters, users
• Reviews - project documents, funding proposals,
  journal articles, conference papers, course
  syllabi and the product itself.

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Projects Reported

• ViMS - Visualizations in Materials Science
• Multimedia (text, graphics and animation) CD
  ROM laboratory supplement for first course in
  engineering materials
• Mars Pathfinder
• High school science supplement multi- media CD
  ROM on NASA Mars Mission
• ESS - Entrepreneurs Seminar Series
• Package of six videotaped lectures on
  entrepreneur-ship skills and processes

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Diffusion Success

• ViMS -
• Adopted by 64 colleges and universities in
  some form of engineering context
• Mars Pathfinder -
• Over 20,000 copies distributed by Jet
  Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to teachers,
  students and hobbyists
• EES -
• More than 150 sets sold by IEEE to
  organizations for meetings and classes

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ViMS
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General Observations

• Disseminated in collaboration with outside
  partner
• ViMS - PWS Kent of Boston
• Mars Pathfinder - Jet Propulsion Lab
• Entrepreneurs Seminar Series - IEEE
• Highly ranked in relative advantage and
  compatibility
• Good trialability and observability
• Easy to use (minimal complexity)
• Entrepreneurial project director
• Relatively low purchase cost

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Product Comparison
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Conclusions

• Successful Diffusion Criteria
• Partnership
• Product Quality
• Low Cost
• Rogers Diffusion Factors
• Relative Advantage
• Compatability
• Complexity
• Trailability and Observability