Introducing Experimental Design to Promote Active Learning
- Conference
- Location
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Minneapolis, MN
- Publication Date
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August 23, 2022
- Start Date
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June 26, 2022
- End Date
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June 29, 2022
- Conference Session
- Page Count
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18
- DOI
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10.18260/1-2--40871
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/40871
- Download Count
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342
Paper Authors
Yevgeniy Yesilevskiy
Yevgeniy Yesilevskiy is a Lecturer in the Discipline of Innovation and Design in the Mechanical Engineering Department at Columbia University. He focuses on project-based and active-learning courses that seek to engage and improve engineering education through the design process. In his courses he guides students towards solving open-ended problems. By having students face uncertainty in their classes, he prepares them to be the next generation of innovators. For his efforts, he was awarded the 2021 Edward and Carole Kim Faculty Involvement Award. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he took the lead on creating a novel face shield design that was deployed in New York City hospitals. Additionally, he spearheaded the creation of project kits that allowed mechanical engineering students to maintain their hands-on education at home. Prior to Columbia, he received his PhD in 2018 from the University of Michigan for his work in legged robotic optimal energetics.
Annika Thomas Columbia University in the City of New York
Annika Thomas is a graduate student studying Mechanical Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She recently graduated with a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Columbia University and holds a bachelor's degree in Math and Physics from College of Idaho. Annika's research focus lies at the intersection of mechatronics and spacecraft dynamics in the field of attitude control for small satellites.
Jessica Oehrlein Fitchburg State University
Melissa Wright Barnard College of Columbia University
Michael Tarnow Columbia University in the City of New York
Abstract
In this study, a new experimental design format for a mechanical engineering junior laboratory course is proposed and implemented. The goal of the change in format is to transition the course from a passive learning environment to an active learning space. Using a scaffolded learning approach, existing experiments were replaced by modules that guided students towards the creation of their own novel experiments. In these novel experiments, they identified a mechanical engineering problem, conducted background research, and proposed a hypothesis. They then constructed their experimental apparatuses, conducted their experiments, and used statistical techniques to analyze their results. The course culminated in a conference-style paper and presentation to showcase their findings. The impact of the redesign was measured using pre- and post-surveys that evaluated key learning objectives as well as the lifelong learning question set. Overall, the modification led to significant improvements in student learning.
Yesilevskiy, Y., & Thomas, A., & Oehrlein, J., & Wright, M., & Tarnow, M. (2022, August), Introducing Experimental Design to Promote Active Learning Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. 10.18260/1-2--40871
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