This spring, Daniel Oerther, the John A. and Susan Mathes Chair of Environmental Engineering, is participating in a Virtual Community of Practice (VCP) as part of a National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded project led by the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE).

According to the ASEE VCP website, “The VCP approach builds on the existing face-to-face faculty development models, on the engaging community of practice models, and on the rapidly developing and increasingly accepted web-based social networking and content management tools.”
Oerther’s involvement builds upon his prior participation in the November 2011 National Academy of Engineering (NAE) Frontiers of Engineering Education (FOEE) Symposium. From among nearly 200 of the top engineering educators in the nation who previously participated in the FOEE, Oerther was one of 15 faculty selected for this VCP pilot project through competitive application.
As part of this experience, Oerther is sharing his ongoing work in blended learning, a flipped classroom environment and mastery grading that he is testing in his Environmental Engineering 261 class, Fundamentals of Environmental Engineering.