San Antonio, Texas
June 10, 2012
June 10, 2012
June 13, 2012
2153-5965
Mechanical Engineering
14
25.85.1 - 25.85.14
10.18260/1-2--20845
https://peer.asee.org/20845
534
Craig J. Hoff is a professor of mechanical engineering at Kettering University, where he teaches courses in energy systems and automotive engineering.
A Peer-Tutor's Perspective on Peer-Tutoring in ThermodynamicsMechanical Engineering students often find Thermodynamics to be the most challenging coursein their degree program. In an effort to gain perspective and improve outcomes, the second andthird authors of this paper, both professors of Mechanical Engineering, have recruited theservices of a peer tutor to work with the students in their Thermodynamics classes over thecourse of a couple of terms. The approximate number of students with access to the tutor was 96in the first term and about 120 in the second term.The lead author is an undergraduate peer-tutor who was recruited because of her previoussuccess in the course and the natural ability she has consistently demonstrated. As a peer tutorshe provided homework assistance, conducted pre-exam study sessions, and assisted in thegrading of the exams. As a result of this placement, she has developed a unique perspective onthe points of difficulty that the students face and on the value of peer tutoring, which she willdescribe in the paper.The preliminary results have been encouraging. Early results indicate that the exam scores ofstudents participating in the peer-tutored sessions averaged nearly ten percentage points higherthan those that did not. The paper will include additional assessment data on the student’sperformance in the course. The paper also will provide survey data from the students in the classproviding the student’s perspective on having access to a peer-tutor.
Hoff, C. J., & Davis, G. W., & Hoff, K. L. (2012, June), A Peer-tutor's Perspective on Peer-tutoring in Thermodynamics Paper presented at 2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, San Antonio, Texas. 10.18260/1-2--20845
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