Byron Richard Hempel

Interests

Research

Engineering Education: How to improve the classroom environment in higher education from both the perspectives of the learner and instructor.

Teaching

Grade levels: freshman - graduate studentsContent: General engineering to specific environmental engineering topicsStyle: lab and lecture. Project based teaching in some classes

Courses

Scholarly Contributions

Journals/Publications

• Hempel, B. R., Blowers, P., & Hidalgo, L. V. (2022). Affective Drivers that Influence the Implementation of An Instructor’s Teaching Practices in a Large Introductory General Chemistry Course. Teaching and Learning Inquiry, 19.
• Hempel, B., Hidalgo, L., & Blowers, P. (2024). Affective drivers that influence the implementation of an instructor’s teaching practices in a large introductory general chemistry course. Cogent Education, 11(1). doi:10.1080/2331186X.2024.2372999
  More info

  With the call for reformed teaching practices in STEM education, there is a need to spread effective teaching practices to classrooms. Affective drivers can lead an instructor to improve their teaching practices, but they are infrequently addressed or recognized. This case study followed one instructor through her General Chemistry course over a summer and fall semester to gain a detailed understanding of the affective drivers that impacted her teaching practices. Semi-structured interviews, based on classroom observations and field notes, revealed that the instructor had self- and student-focused factors that influenced her affective drivers. The self-focused factors included feeling basic emotional needs, feeling intrinsically motivated towards self-improvement, and feeling self-efficacy regarding instruction and chemistry. The student-focused factors included feeling like a supportive faculty to students, feeling empathy towards students, and having expectations for students’ personal successes. Considering the difficulty of long-term change in faculty, the affective drivers are rich sources of motivation. Understanding these affective drivers, particularly if they are common to other instructors, could allow for targeted instructor self-reflection and guidance. The authors suggest that approaching self-reflection through an affective lens will allow for more effective support to change and adopt effective teaching practices.
• Hempel, B. R., Blowers, P., & Kiehlbaugh, K. M. (2020). Scalable and Practical Teaching Practices Faculty Can Deploy to Increase Retention: A Faculty Cookbook for Increasing Student Success. Education for Chemical Engineers, 33, 45-65. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ece.2020.07.004
• Kiehlbaugh, K. M., Hempel, B. R., & Blowers, P. (2020). Scalable and Practical Teaching Practices Faculty Can Deploy to Increase Retention: A Faculty Cookbook for Increasing Student Success. Education for Chemical Engineers, 33, 45-65.
• Hempel, B. R., & Blowers, P. (2019). Small Changes, Big Impacts: Teaching Strategies that Work. Real Teaching. Real Learning. Real Classrooms, 1(5), 1-3.
• Hempel, B. R., & Blowers, P. (2019). Small Changes, Big Impacts: Teaching Strategies that Work. Reat Teaching. Real Learning. Real Classrooms, 1(5), 1-3.
• Kiehlbaugh, K. M., Hempel, B. R., & Blowers, P. (2019). Student Evaluation of Teaching in an Engineering Class and Comparison of Results Based on Instructor Gender. Chemical Engineering Education, 53(2), 91-99.

Proceedings Publications

• Blowers, P., Kiehlbaugh, K. M., & Hempel, B. R. (2019, June). Scalable and Practical Interventions Faculty Can Deploy to Increase Student Success. In 2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition.
• Jurkiewicz, J., Hempel, B., Redman, M., Murzi, H., Dominguez, C., & Ford, A. (2021). Give Them Grace: An Autoethnographic Study on Instructors’ Adaptation to Online Technology in Education as a Result of COVID-19. In ASEE.

Presentations

• Hempel, B. R., & Blowers, P. (2019, Fall). Small teaching, large effects: teaching strategies that work. FLC Workshop. University of Arizona: Academic Affairs.
• Hempel, B. R., & Blowers, P. (2019, October). Use of Responseware to Create Highly Engaged Classrooms,. University of Arizona IT Summit. Tucson, AZ.