Conference Session

Understanding Our Students I

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Donald William Rhymer Ph.D., U.S. Air Force Academy; Richard T. Buckley Ph.D., U.S. Air Force Academy; Daniel D. Jensen, U.S. Air Force Academy

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

understanding of course material between a research group usingnarration with a control group who received traditional lecture-based lessons. Additionally, thestudents’ subjective impressions of narration, were captured, as we recognized the potential forstudents to resist new pedagogical techniques9.All four class sections of the senior level engineering course “EM 460: Experimental Mechanics” atthe Air Force Academy were used in the research, involving 52 students. Two of sections, involving22 students, were used as the research group, while the remaining 2 sections comprised the controlgroup totaling 30 students. Two instructors taught the course, each having 1 research group sectionand 1 control group section, in order to isolate any instructor

Conference Session

ERM Potpourri

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Megan F. Campanile, Illinois Institute of Technology; Eric M. Brey, Illinois Institute of Technology; Allison Antink Meyer, Illinois Institute of Technology; Norman G. Lederman, Illinois Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

trajectories.1.0 Introduction Undergraduate research experiences are anticipated to both increase understanding ofresearch practice and motivate students to pursue advanced degrees in the sciences andengineering.1 Broadening participation in careers in science and engineering is often a primarygoal of these programs and the government funding associated with them. However, the abilityto reach students at critical transition points in their career trajectory is difficult.2,3 Undergraduateresearch is often primarily performed by students who have already established clear careergoals,2 and the experience either confirms the students’ plans or strengthens their resumes. Research experience is also expected to enhance undergraduates

Conference Session

Understanding Our Students I

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joanna F. DeFranco, Pennsylvania State University, Great Valley; Kathryn W. Jablokow, Penn State University; Sven G. Bilen, Pennsylvania State University, University Park; Andras Gordon, Pennsylvania State University, University Park

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

“common knowledge” maps. The students’ cognitive styles were assessed using theKirton Adaption–Innovation inventory (KAI), and their concept maps were analyzed using bothtraditional and holistic scoring approaches. Correlations between the students’ KAI results andthe metrics obtained from their concept maps were investigated, with some statisticallysignificant correlations observed. These results are discussed, along with the cognitive styledistributions of our samples and implications of our findings for the engineering classroom.1. IntroductionConcept mapping is a graphical technique used to represent an individual’s knowledge andunderstanding about a topic. In concept maps, concepts are arranged in hierarchical patternsusing labeled cross

Conference Session

Research Informing Teaching Practice II

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Renata A. Revelo Alonso, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Michael C. Loui, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

Outside EngineeringIntroductionAssessing the state of engineering education within the larger community of educators, theNational Science Foundation has highlighted the need for an understanding of engineering infields outside of engineering and “attention to STEM literacy for the public at large”1. In the1995 NSF report Restructuring Engineering Education: A Focus Change2, one of thesuggestions to address such a need was to offer engineering courses to non-engineering students.Consequently, in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, engineering departments slowly began to offercourses for students who did not plan to major in engineering. Because few such generaleducation courses were offered in the past, little is known about the long-term student

Conference Session

Before and After: Matriculants and Alumni

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Marisa K. Orr, Purdue University; Nichole M. Ramirez, Purdue University; Matthew W. Ohland, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Valerie Lundy-Wagner, New York University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

and that school-levelvariables are better predictors than district-level variables. Additionally the importance ofcontext in interpreting socioeconomic variables is highlighted.IntroductionSocioeconomic status (SES) continues to be a major issue in educational equity, diversity, andpolicy research. Access to higher education and academic achievement is an especiallyimportant issue in engineering education. As the United States continues to support STEMinitiatives in a highly competitive global market, it is critical that we understand the barriersstudents face in obtaining an engineering degree. With the goal of informing future research, weseek to answer the questions: 1. Does using a time-variant measure of economic status better predict

Conference Session

Research Informing Teaching Practice I

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jennifer Cole, Northwestern University; Robert A. Linsenmeier, Northwestern University; Timothy Miller, Binghamton University ; Matthew R. Glucksberg, Northwestern University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

this purpose. In this current phase of thestudy we investigated how well students transferred these skills to their own open-ended designproblems.Background LiteratureSeveral researchers [4-6] have investigated how to instruct students in open-ended, design-typetasks, called Model Eliciting Activities (MEA). MEAs are designed to lead students through theprocess of open-ended problem solving from problem definition, through model use, to prototypedesign. A series of questions can be used to get students thinking about how to interpret physicalproblems and convert them into mathematical terms. An instructional framework [5] fordeveloping an MEA includes the following six principles: 1. Model Construction

Conference Session

Research Informing Teaching Practice I

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Chris Venters, Virginia Tech; Lisa D. McNair, Virginia Tech; Marie C. Paretti, Virginia Tech

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

inthe form of low first-time pass rates, but several recent publications from the engineeringeducation community indicate that bad grades are not the only indicators of the problem [1-3].These reports, among others, indicate that many students, even those who pass statics, havedifficulty conceptualizing the topics that we consider essential knowledge for engineeringstudents. This learning deficiency can provide complications as students enter courses that buildon the statics foundation.The primary purpose of this ongoing study is to determine whether writing can be used inengineering courses like statics to improve learning for students. In part, this study builds onprevious studies by authors like Hanson and Williams [4] and others who have

Conference Session

Research in Engineering Education II

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Dana Denick, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Aidsa I. Santiago-Román, University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus; Ruth A. Streveler, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Natalie Barrett, Purdue University, West Lafayette

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

: Preliminary evidence from the Concept Assessment Tool for Statics (CATS)IntroductionAssessment, specifically assessment for the development of curricula and evaluation of students’performance with respect to ABET accreditation requirements, has been an important aspect ofengineering education. Therefore, engineering educators need to implement rigorous assessmentpractices in their courses that are both valid and reliable, in a manner that would allow them tohave the necessary evidence to improve students’ learning.1 Engineering concept inventories(CIs) have been developed with the intention to be used by faculty to assess students’understanding of specific concepts. Unfortunately they have been used primarily to assess

Conference Session

Retention and Persistence in Engineering

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Cathy W. Hall, East Carolina University; Karen A. De Urquidi, East Carolina University; Paul J. Kauffmann P.E., East Carolina University; Karl Louis Wuensch, East Carolina University; William W. Swart, East Carolina University; Odis Hayden Griffin Jr. P.E., East Carolina University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

not have the opportunity to participate, 156 men and 13 women). Consequently, theparticipants in this study do not reflect the entire entering class nor do they include transferstudents or students migrating to engineering from other majors. Race/ethnicity for theparticipants was as follows: Native American - 2 (0.7%); African American - 29 (10.5%);Pacific Islander – 1 (0.4%); Asian 16 (5.8%); Hispanic/Latino – 8 (2.9%); Caucasian - 205(74.0%); Other - 14 (5.1%) and 2 did not indicate race/ethnicity.ProcedureParticipants were recruited from ENGR 1000, a course designed specifically for enteringengineering students. The course provided an opportunity for students to meet peers with thesame declared major and learn more about different fields

Conference Session

Preparing for Practice

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

James Huff, Purdue University; Carla B. Zoltowski, Purdue University, West Lafayette; William C. Oakes, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Robin Adams, Purdue University, West Lafayette

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

be the central or distinguishing activity of engineering” (p.103)1. Indeed the National Academy of Engineering reinforces this statement by describingengineering as “design under constraint” (p. 24)2. The report continues, “The engineer designsdevices, components, subsystems, and systems, and to create a successful design, in the sensethat it leads directly or indirectly to an improvement of our quality of life” (p. 24)2. And the veryessence of these statements manifests itself through the Grand Challenges of Engineering, whichinclude such challenges as “restor[ing] and improv[ing] urban infrastructure”, “prevent[ing]nuclear terror”, and “advanc[ing] personalized learning”3. Such challenges are renderedincredibly complex by deeply integrated

Conference Session

Teaching with Technology

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Alejandra J. Magana, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Michael L Falk, Johns Hopkins University; Mike Reese, Johns Hopkins University; Camilo Vieira, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

(Thermodynamics) and Biomaterials I(Biomaterials). The research questions driving this study are: 1. What are students' perceptions regarding the utility of integrating computation in their studies and their future careers? 2. What are students' perceptions regarding their own abilities to implement computational methods commonly used to solve MSE problems? 3. What are students' intentions regarding the use of computation in their studies and future careers?Review of the LiteratureComputation is an essential engineering research and development tool for the analysis anddesign of solutions to modern technological needs3. Higher education, however, is not keepingpace by equipping undergraduate engineering students with the

Conference Session

Motivation and Self-Efficacy

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Hannah Kolar, Arizona State University; Adam R Carberry, Arizona State University; Ashish Amresh, Arizona State University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

students with thetools and abilities to create the future. Computer-based innovations play a particularlyprominent role because of how engrained they have become in many aspects of industryand our lives. It is important to have people who can create, maintain and fix computersand computer software. Unfortunately, high dropout rates in computing majors are far toocommon.In this study we examine the effectiveness of a new instrument to measure computingself-efficacy. Such a tool can provide a analysis of an important factor that has been tiedto student dropout in STEM majors. Our study explores three research questions thatwere present throughout the study: 1) What is the computing self-efficacy of university students pursuing a STEM

Conference Session

Trends in Engineering Education

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Alex Albert, University of Colorado

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

attempt to describe a pedagogical innovation anddemonstrate its impact on student learning. These studies include qualitative measurements ofimprovement such as student feedback in learning logs 1 and quantitative measurements such asperformance on examinations 2. The vast majority of researchers assess the impacts of newteaching methods primarily using correlational or comparative studies. They often gatherempirical data to understand if there is an improvement combined with qualitative feedback instudent reflections to understand why the intervention was successful or unsuccessful. Nearly allof these pedagogical studies aim to measure the improvement in learning resulting from anintervention. These studies essentially aim to perform a

Conference Session

Research in Assessment

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Peter M. Ostafichuk, University of British Columbia; Jim Sibley, University of British Columbia, Vancouver; H.F. Machiel Van der Loos, University of British Columbia

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

, concise summary of theassumptions, analyses, design decisions, and justifications is in itself a challenging task for mostteams as it requires that they identify and present only the most important assumptions, analyses, Page 25.1031.4and results from their work.What follows is a brief description of each of the four different in-class activities and theassociated peer-to-peer assessment approaches.In-Class Activity 1: Poster Gallery WalkFor the Poster Gallery Walk, each team creates an 11"×17" poster that is prepared with drawings,sketches, and text (minimum18 point font) and summarizes their solution to the design problem.The posters are placed

Conference Session

Educational Research and Methods Poster Session

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Afiya C. Fredericks, Howard University; Lorraine N. Fleming P.E., Howard University; Jennifer O. Burrell, Howard University; Ashley R. Griffin, Howard University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

, engineering departments may need to create a way to foster this sense of community,which in turn may effectively enhance the learning environment, reduce attrition, increaseacademic performance and ultimately aid in the production of well needed, competent minorityengineers.IntroductionLearning environments, where students actively participate is one factor that has been found tohave a positive influence on learning. Three main factors comprise the learning environment:individuals, relationships among those individuals, and the culture within the environment1.More specifically, Johnson 1 specifies that the definition of the learning environment is asperceived by the individual. This implies that what truly gives meaning to the learningenvironment is

Conference Session

Before and After: Matriculants and Alumni

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Irene B. Mena, Pennsylvania State University, University Park; Sarah E. Zappe, Pennsylvania State University, University Park; Thomas A. Litzinger, Pennsylvania State University, University Park

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

communicators, and have the skills towork globally and in multidisciplinary teams. For evaluation purposes, the Universityperiodically sends out surveys in which engineering alumni are asked about how well preparedthey perceive themselves to be for their post-graduation employment. Using the results from the2010 administration of this survey, this study seeks to answer the following questions: (1) Whatare alumni’s perceptions of their preparedness in these areas: ethics, innovation, communication,project management, global and international work, and multidisciplinary teamwork? (2) Canclusters be identified from the survey results? (3) What undergraduate engineering experienceshelped prepare them for these skills, and in what ways do they believe the

Conference Session

Research in Engineering Education I

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rebecca Brent, Education Designs, Inc.

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

things work as proposed, andsometimes they never figure it out.Most researchers are familiar with the need to evaluate the end results of a completed project,which in the professional evaluation community is termed outcomes evaluation (or impactevaluation). While necessary for funded projects, outcomes evaluation is summative—at best itmight reveal what the researchers should have done, but it comes too late to change what theyactually did. A formative approach called utilization-focused evaluation helps project leadersmonitor and improve their project throughout its term.1 A particularly powerful utilization-focused technique is implementation evaluation (or process evaluation), in which a trainedevaluator is brought into a project from its

Conference Session

Thinking About the Engineering Curriculum

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jason Feser, American Association for the Advancement of Science, Science & Technology Policy ; Maura J. Borrego, National Science Foundation; Russ Pimmel, University of Alabama; Connie Kubo DUPE Della-Piana, National Science Foundation

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

community’s perceptions of change processes as demonstrated inNSF’s CCLI-TUES program. We present the results of a peer review panelist survey organizedby prior CCLI criteria and newer institutionalization and transportability TUES criteria.MethodsTUES Program Setting Page 25.1126.4To address the program goals described above, TUES has two review deadlines each year forthree types of proposals. Type 1 proposals typically, but not necessarily, focus on advancing oneproject element that will enhance undergraduate STEM education in a specific institution andSTEM discipline. (Recently, however, we have begun receiving more Type 1 proposals withmultiple

Conference Session

Research Informing Teaching Practice I

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

George D. Ricco, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Noah Salzman, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Russell Andrew Long, Purdue University; Matthew W. Ohland, Purdue University, West Lafayette

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

                Page 25.1146.2 Introduction Grades, how they are earned, and the institutional impetuses that drive them, are an issueof central importance in the engineering discipline.1-4 How grades are earned, how differentinstitutions address grades and grade inequities, how instructional practices and policies affectgrades, and other grading notions have been studied widely in engineering education.5-8 Theeffect of faculty on student grades, while studied,9 has not been probed as extensively withinengineering education using a hierarchical linear model (HLM). One of the great, open questions in engineering education is whether or not the sectionmakes a difference in a student’s grade. In other words, the effect of sectionality on grades to

Conference Session

Research Informing Teaching Practice I

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Shanna R. Daly, University of Michigan; Cynthia Finelli, University of Michigan; Ameen Basim Al-Khafaji, College of Engineering at the University of Michigan; Martha Jane Neubauer, College of Engineering at the University of Michigan

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

teaching practices to support a diverse student body in engineering. Our research isfounded on the premise that these initiatives will be more effective if they are (1) grounded inresearch about successful faculty teaching practices, (2) integrated with local evidence regardinginstitutional context, student perspectives, and faculty perceptions and behavior, and (3)informed by theories of learning, faculty development, and institutional change. This model ofevidence-based change is represented in Figure 1. Page 25.1190.2 Local evidence regarding institutional context

Conference Session

Problem-based and Challenge-based Learning

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Leema Kuhn Berland, University of Texas, Austin; William F. McKenna, University of Texas, Austin

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

, as such, we do not work to account forstudent variation in student responses to the interview in terms of the teacher differences.The interviews were semi-structured: interviewers were given a set of themes on which to focusand sample questions. The expectation was that interviewers would engage in a conversationwith the interviewee in which they worked to elicit student’s thoughts about 5 focal themes. Asa result, we consider the interviews a “negotiated text” 4 (p. 663) that was co-constructed throughthe conversation of the interviewer and interviewee(s). For the purpose of this paper, we focuson 2 thematic categories, including: 1. What is the student’s understanding of the engineering design process? 2. What STEM concepts did the

Conference Session

Model Eliciting Activities

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nora Siewiorek, University of Pittsburgh; Larry J. Shuman, University of Pittsburgh; Mary E. Besterfield-Sacre, University of Pittsburgh; Natasa S. Vidic, University of Pittsburgh; Karen M. Bursic, University of Pittsburgh; Scott Streiner, University of Pittsburgh; Jeffrey Coull

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

well astheir confidence relative to a few key concepts is affected by exposure to MEAs.Research QuestionsThis study aims to address the following five research questions. 1. Is there a significant gain in students’ knowledge from the beginning to the end of the semester? 2. Are students who are most confident in their answers also correct in their responses? 3. Are there differences in confidence related to gender? 4. Do differences exist between experimental and comparison sections? 5. Are there differences simply due to misunderstandings, or are these more likely long held misconceptions?Background1. Challenges for Students Learning Statistical ConceptsHistorically students rarely encountered statistical concepts

Conference Session

Identity and Culture

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Brook Sattler, University of Washington; Jennifer A. Turns, University of Washington; Kathryn Ann Mobrand, University of Washington

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

framework, self-authorship, to analyze theeffectiveness of a specific pedagogy, creating preparedness portfolios. Self-authorship unitesdifferent areas of student development (i.e., intellectual, identity, and relationship) to produce aholistic analysis and also because scholars in higher education consider development toward self-authorship to be a main mission of higher education.The purpose of the study was two-fold: (1) to determine whether or not (and in what ways) theportfolio experience helps students become self-authoring individuals; and (2) to make someobservations about the effectiveness of the self-authorship framework as a means to evaluatepedagogies in general. To address these purposes, we engaged engineering undergraduates

Conference Session

Thinking About the Engineering Curriculum

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Peter H. Meckl, Purdue University; Marc H. Williams, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Carolyn Percifield, Purdue University; Monica E. Cardella, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Michael T. Harris, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Leah H. Jamieson, Purdue University, West Lafayette

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

) indicated that their institution was engaged in a significant program of changein its curriculum (while the other half indicated that their institution was not engaged in such achange).Survey Goals:I. Understanding various dimensions of the curriculum change process including: 1. The definition of “future engineers” and the attributes needed to be successful 2. The importance of these attributes and degree to which they are incorporated into the curriculum 3. The objectives for current or planned curriculum change initiatives and the administrative level of “ownership” 4. The barriers to success and factors for successII. Identifying potential topics and facilitators for planned ASEE sessions in Vancouver, June

Conference Session

Problem-based and Challenge-based Learning

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Angela van Barneveld, Purdue University; Johannes Strobel, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Greg Light, Northwestern University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

. Page 25.1272.1 c American Society for Engineering Education, 2012 van Barneveld, Strobel, & Light 1 Tensions with PBL Implementation in undergraduate engineering education – results from teaching practiceIntroductionEngineering educators are facing high demands as they are challenged to create learningenvironments that can not only better teach technical skills, but also incorporate process skillsand foster other graduate attributes. Problem-based learning, known as PBL, and its variantshave been deemed adequate for meeting the needs of educators and society in preparing theengineers of the 21st century

Conference Session

Learning Outside the Classroom

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Justin P. Micomonaco, Michigan State University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

AC 2011-1645: LIVING-LEARNING COMMUNITIES AS A POTENTIALINTERVENTION TO INCREASE THE RETENTION OF FIRST-YEAR EN-GINEERSJustin P. Micomonaco, Michigan State University Page 22.1020.1 c American Society for Engineering Education, 2011 Living-Learning Communities as an Intervention to Increase the Retention of First-Year EngineersBackground The challenge to produce both a greater quantity and higher quality of engineers in theUnited States is well-documented.1, 2 There have been considerable efforts to recruit additionalstudents to engineering, yielding modest results; however, the increase in enrollment has

Conference Session

Knowing Ourselves: Research on Engineering Education Researchers

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Johannes Strobel, Purdue University, West Lafayette; David F. Radcliffe, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Prashant Rajan, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Sadia Nawaz, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Yi Luo, Purdue University; Jea H. Choi, Purdue University; Ji Hyun Yu, Purdue University, West Lafayette

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

many others (Scott, 1991). Human beings are fundamentally networked organisms. From the networks of interactionbetween subcellular components and genes which determine susceptibility of an individual (oreven a population) to disease to the social networks that influence the spread of diseases such asobesity and influenza through human society, networks determine our health and provide us witha way of understanding human health at multiple levels (Barabási, 2007). The interconnected                                                                                                                          1 An entity may refer to social entities such as individuals, groups or, organizations

Conference Session

Learning From Experts

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Alejandra J. Magana, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Ruth A. Streveler, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Natalie Barrett, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

challenge of producing the trained scientists,engineers and technicians that will be needed to fuel the nanoscience revolution.Instructors of nanoscience and engineering will need to combine both content knowledgeand effective pedagogical methods to create effective curricula. The objectives of thisstudy are to begin to identify the (1) content knowledge and (2) pedagogical contentknowledge (PCK) of experienced researchers and instructors in nanoscale science andengineering. It is hoped that these results can be used to inform curriculum design innanoscience and technology. Our participants were seven senior researchers at a largeMidwestern university. We employed qualitative research methods to identify theconcepts, ideas, and ways of thinking for

Conference Session

Engineering Education Research in K-12

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Melissa Dyehouse, Purdue University; Heidi A. Diefes-Dux, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Brenda Capobianco, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods, K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

incorporateengineering into the elementary classroom. Engineering curricula and engineering teacherprofessional development at the elementary level remains a developing area1. It follows thatassessments measuring the impact of such teacher professional development programs, orengineering interventions on students’ engineering design, science, and technology knowledge,have not been widely developed or utilized. For example, the National Academy Engineering(NAE)1 reports that there is a “paucity of data” available to assess the impacts of K-12engineering education on many student outcomes, which “reflects a modest, unsystematic effortto measure, or even define, learning and other outcomes” (p. 154).There is a need for assessments that are developmentally

Conference Session

SPECIAL SESSION: Educational Methods and Tools to Encourage Conceptual Learning I

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nancy K. Lape, Harvey Mudd College

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering, Educational Research and Methods

du Genie Chimique (CNRS), ENSIC-INPL in Nancy, France. Page 22.1525.1 c American Society for Engineering Education, 2011 Tiered Scaffolding of Problem-Based Learning Techniques in a Thermodynamics CourseAbstract:Problem-Based Learning (PBL) holds the promise of training students to tackle ill-defined, ill-structured problems and enhance transference of student knowledge fromtypical classroom activities to real-world design and analysis. However, some educationalresearchers (e.g. Kirschner, Sweller et. al.1, 2) contend that minimal guidance techniquessuch as PBL fail to