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WIP: Decoding a Discipline – Toward Identifying Threshold Concepts in Geomatics Engineering

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Conference

2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Salt Lake City, Utah

Publication Date

June 23, 2018

Start Date

June 23, 2018

End Date

July 27, 2018

Conference Session

Works in Progress I

Tagged Division

Educational Research and Methods

Page Count

9

DOI

10.18260/1-2--31248

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/31248

Download Count

390

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Paper Authors

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Ivan Detchev University of Calgary

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Ivan Detchev holds a BScE (first division) from the department of Geodesy and Geomatics Engineering at the University of New Brunswick. He also obtained a MSc and a PhD in Geomatics Engineering from the University of Calgary. Dr. Detchev is currently an instructor in surveying and mapping at the University of Calgary. He is interested in the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) related to engineering education.

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Elena V. Rangelova University of Calgary

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Dr. Elena Rangelova is an instructor in Surveying in the Department of Geomatics Engineering, Schulich School of Engineering, University of Calgary. She received her PhD degree from the same department in 2007. Her research interests in scholarship of teaching and learning are in the field of deep, active and team-based learning, as well as transformative learning in threshold concepts.

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Scott C. Packer University of Calgary

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Scott Packer is a Research Assistant for Dr. Ivan Detchev and Dr. Elena Rangelova in the Department of Geomatics Engineering, Schulich School of Engineering at the University of Calgary. Mr. Packer holds a B.A. (Hons.) in Anthropology from the University of Lethbridge and a Diploma (2 Year Program) in General Studies (Hons.) from Lethbridge College. He has worked in a variety of Post-Secondary roles while completing his education and since graduating in 2013. Prior to this project he worked as an Academic Strategist for nearly four years, splitting time between the University of Lethbridge and Mount Royal University. Additionally, he has spent time as a Research Assistant for a public school attendance and performance project, Teaching Assistant, Tutor and Academic Aid. All his previous roles have played a crucial part in building qualifications to assist in this Engineering Education research.

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Quazi K. Hassan University of Calgary

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Dr. Quazi K. Hassan is a professor in the Department of Geomatics Engineering at the University of Calgary and leads the Earth Observation for Environmental Laboratory. His research interests include: (i) application of remote sensing in forecasting and monitoring of natural hazards/disasters, (ii) use of remote sensing and GIS techniques in understanding the dynamics of natural resources, and (iii) integration of remote sensing, GIS, and modelling techniques in addressing issues related to energy, environment, climate change, local/global warming and smart city. In addition, he is a passionate 'open educational resources' developer; and serving the editorial board of two open access journals known as Scientific Reports (Nature Publication Group) and Remote Sensing (MDPI).

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Kyle O'Keefe P.Eng. University of Calgary Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0003-2123-2372

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Kyle O’Keefe is the associate head of undergraduate studies in Geomatics Engineering at the University of Calgary, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He has worked in positioning and navigation research since 1996. His major research interests are GNSS system simulation and assessment and local, indoor, and vehicular navigation with ground based ranging systems and other sensors. He has been a supporter of quality science and engineering education throughout his career.

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Abstract

This is a work-in-progress paper on a descriptive or a ‘what is’ type of teaching and learning project related to deep learning of fundamental knowledge in geomatics engineering. On the hard-soft and pure-applied spectrums the discipline of geomatics engineering can be classified as hard and applied. This makes sustaining an environment for deep learning, as opposed to superficial learning, of core geomatics engineering knowledge a challenging task. This environment sometimes comes at the cost of instructors of higher level courses having to repeatedly review concepts taught in lower level courses. As a result, little time is left for tackling advanced learning outcomes. This problem can be mitigated by assessing the current learning environments in core geomatics engineering courses and, more specifically, identifying threshold concepts or areas of troublesome knowledge in these courses; developing and implementing a collection of learning resources and teaching activities to address these matters; and observing and analyzing the effect of using these resources and activities on geomatics engineering students. This paper will focus on the first part of the problem, namely, what methods to use in order to assess the learning environment and detect the threshold concepts in select geomatics engineering courses. The authors propose a series of questionnaires, observation sessions, and reflection meetings where students in their second and third year of geomatics engineering will be invited to participate. The questionnaires will be formative minute papers on muddy concepts throughout the semester, and summative end-of-term surveys asking the students to describe their learning experience during the semester. The observation sessions will be in-class (teacher-student interactions) and think-aloud (individual or in groups). The reflection meetings will be conducted after certain exams, tutorials or labs, where the students will be given the opportunity to express their opinions on the learning objectives involved. In addition, grades from midterm and final exams will be analyzed for any alignment between the concepts in question and the respective student performance. This part of the project will be run for two years, so the authors will be seeking input from the engineering education community in order to improve the study in its second iteration.

Detchev, I., & Rangelova, E. V., & Packer, S. C., & Hassan, Q. K., & O'Keefe, K. (2018, June), WIP: Decoding a Discipline – Toward Identifying Threshold Concepts in Geomatics Engineering Paper presented at 2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition , Salt Lake City, Utah. 10.18260/1-2--31248

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