Texas A&M University

Member since 2006

Program Name: TAMU CIRTL
Contact: Bob Webb, Professor of Physics and Astronomy 
George P. Mitchell “40 Physics building 576 
4242 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843-4242
979-845-4012
979-845-2590 (fax)
robert-webb@tamu.edu
http://cirtl.tamu.edu/

Why did Texas A&M University join the CIRTL Network?

Texas A&M University (TAMU) seeks to change our educational practices in ways that increase student engagement in authentic inquiry and research. Educational research has shown that inquiry-based learning (IBL) is one of the best pedagogical practices to support student development of critical thinking skills and competency in authentic practices including learning with understanding, problem-solving, knowledge transfer, strong metacognitive skills, and decision making. Inquiry-based learning engages STEM students in the manipulation of data, the development and testing of conceptual models based on available evidence, and exposure to authentic, complex and ill-constrained problems. Inquiry-based learning may also support the integration of research and teaching in ways that develop synergy between these two major activities of academic life.

Texas A&M University’s CIRTL Network Team

Bob Webb and Bruce Herbert are the leaders of the TAMU CIRTL team. Bob Webb focuses on serving as the contact facilitator for public relations and marketing while Bruce Herbert focuses on serving as the evaluation contact and facilitator to the CIRTL Network. As the TAMU CIRTL Link, Gurlovleen Rathore assists Bob Webb and the TAMU CIRTL team in program coordination through recruitment of faculty, postdocs, and graduate students as and when required and/or requested. As the TAMU CIRTL Evaluation Liaison, Charita Ray-Blakely assists Bruce Herbert and the TAMU CIRTL team in program coordination through evaluation efforts as well as through the recruitment of faculty, postdocs, and graduate students, for evaluation purposes, as and when required and/or requested. Charita Ray-Blakely also serves as the evaluation liaison to the CIRTL Network by providing institutional evaluative data to the CIRTL Network as required and/or requested.