A strategy for involving undergraduates in the development of teaching methods

This paper presents the author´s experience using undergraduates to develop, test, and evaluate teaching methodologies. Various strategies were employed over the course of 4 years to involve undergraduates in the development and refinement of effective teaching methods in civil engineering technology. Both upper and lower classmen were consulted and selected to participate in the process. Some of the involvement strategies tested included standard campus wide student evaluations, student committees, selected classroom discussions, special student meetings, and panel discussions at student club meetings. The pros and cons of each involvement strategy are presented along with recommendations for further study.