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Accelerated Learning and Assessment in Engineering Mechanics: Designing an Interactive Tool to Support Students' Learning

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Conference

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Location

Virtual On line

Publication Date

June 22, 2020

Start Date

June 22, 2020

End Date

June 26, 2021

Conference Session

NSF Grantees: Student Learning 2

Tagged Topic

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Page Count

5

DOI

10.18260/1-2--34085

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/34085

Download Count

406

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Paper Authors

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Nicole P. Pitterson Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0001-9221-1574

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Nicole is an assistant professor in the Department of Engineering Education at Virginia Tech. Prior to joining VT, Dr. Pitterson was a postdoctoral scholar at Oregon State University. She holds a PhD in Engineering Education from Purdue University and other degrees in Manufacturing Engineering from Western Illinois University and a B.Sc. in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Technology, Jamaica. Her research interests are exploring students' disciplinary identity through engagement with knowledge, curriculum design, assessment and evaluation and teaching for conceptual understanding.

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Jacob R. Grohs Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

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Jacob Grohs is an Assistant Professor in Engineering Education at Virginia Tech with Affiliate Faculty status in Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics and the Learning Sciences and Technologies at Virginia Tech. He holds degrees in Engineering Mechanics (BS, MS) and in Educational Psychology (MAEd, PhD).

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David A. Dillard Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

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David Dillard is the Adhesive and Sealant Science Professor in the Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics Department at Virginia Tech. He has worked extensively in the field of adhesive bonding, having experience in structural adhesives for aerospace, automotive, and infrastructure applications; adhesives and coatings for microelectronic applications; pressure sensitive adhesives; elastomeric adhesives and sealants; and polymeric membranes. He has authored or co-authored over 190 refereed publications and regularly teaches courses in adhesion science, polymer viscoelasticity, and sustainable energy solutions. With nearly 40 years of experience as an educator, he is interested in new ways to leverage technology to have a positive impact on student learning and assessment.

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Sneha Patel Davison Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

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Todd P. Shuba Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0003-1991-3814

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Todd P. Shuba is a New Horizons Graduate Scholar in the College of Engineering and a Graduate Research and Teaching Assistant in the Department of Engineering Education at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. His research interests include transfer of learning, collaborative learning, and student motivation and engagement. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Engineering with a concentration in Environmental and Ecological Engineering and a minor in Mechanical Engineering, as well as a Master of Science in Education with a concentration in Educational Psychology and Research Methodology, from Purdue University-West Lafayette.

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Cliff Shaffer Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

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Dr. Shaffer received his PhD in Computer Science from University of Maryland, College Park in 1986. He is currently Professor of Computer Science at Virginia Tech, where he has been since 1987. He directs the AlgoViz and OpenDSA projects, whose goals respectively are to support the use of algorithm visualization in the classroom, and the development of a complete online collection of interactive tutorials for data structures and algorithms courses. His research interests are in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Problem Solving Environments, Digital Education, Algorithm Visualization, Hierarchical Data Structures, Algorithm Design and Analysis, and Data Structures.

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Arinjoy Basak Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

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Department of Computer Science

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Jianqiang Zhang Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

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Abstract

Repeated deliberate practice in problem-solving practices is known to be beneficial in increasing students’ overall understanding of targeted concepts. Additionally, when students receive frequent formative feedback, they are able to identify problematic areas of their reasoning and can correct their underlying cognitive frames of reference. However, many undergraduate engineering courses are not designed to provide students with repeated practice and targeted feedback by use of educational interventions. This project was designed to: 1) iteratively develop the innovative problem delivery and assessment system and evaluate its effectiveness in meeting specific learning and assessment goals in engineering mechanics. 2) systematically study how this technology-rich problem-solving interface can enhance the learning, teaching, and assessment of complex knowledge, and 3) critically evaluate opportunities and barriers to scaling and transferring the innovation across educational contexts. By focusing on the development of strong analytical problem-solving skills characterized by rich conceptual knowledge, this project directly responds to demands from both industry and the federal government for colleges and universities to develop complex problem solvers for the workforce.

Overall, this project aims to assist engineering faculty and students through the development of an open-access problem-solving interface that will accelerate learning and enhance assessment, which along with a growing body of practice exercises, could be widely adopted in engineering mechanics education. The project seeks to develop an interactive online system for solving problems in introductory engineering mechanics courses for an undergraduate degree program. Our system aims to provide a feedback-based, exploratory environment for students to work on different problem instances and variations to explore key concepts of mathematical problem solving through developing equations for a target solution. This poster will present the current implementation of our system and discuss the different features for problem solving, feedback, and tracking of student activity and progress.

Pitterson, N. P., & Grohs, J. R., & Dillard, D. A., & Davison, S. P., & Shuba, T. P., & Shaffer, C., & Basak, A., & Zhang, J. (2020, June), Accelerated Learning and Assessment in Engineering Mechanics: Designing an Interactive Tool to Support Students' Learning Paper presented at 2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access, Virtual On line . 10.18260/1-2--34085

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