Assessing the Efficacy of a Pedagogy in an Online Mechanics of Materials Course with EFL Students

Adrian Rodriguez

Download Paper | Permalink

Conference: 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Portland, Oregon
Publication Date: June 23, 2024
Start Date: June 23, 2024
End Date: July 12, 2024
Conference Session: Unique Pedagogies for Mechanics Education
Tagged Division: Mechanics Division (MECHS)
Tagged Topic: Diversity
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/46618

Request a correction

Paper Authors

biography

Adrian Rodriguez The University of Texas at Austin

visit author page

Adrian Rodriguez is an Engineering Content Developer for zyBooks, a Wiley brand and a Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin. His research interests include engineering education, multibody dynamics, contact and impact with friction, electro-mechanical systems, and nonlinear dynamics. He earned his B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Texas at Arlington.

visit author page

Download Paper | Permalink

Abstract

English as a foreign language (EFL) students encounter a diverse set of learning challenges due to inherent cultural barriers, like English language communication and misconstrued behaviors from non-verbal communication. Engineering courses involve complex subject matter with nuanced concepts and are commonly structured with prerequisite courses. This requires EFL students to have a proficient level of academic preparation and foundational knowledge. All these factors compound the learning challenge that EFL students must overcome to persist and complete an online engineering course that is taught in English. The present paper builds on a previous work where a pedagogy with a lean instructional methodology was developed for EFL students in an online Mechanics of Materials course (82% asynchronous and 18% synchronous). The lean methodology relied on reduced question sets for homework, a guided mapping of key technical terms, and alternative text explanations for problem figures. These instructional materials were designed to decrease the student’s cognitive load and establish a toolkit to support their learning. The results of the initial deployment showed an increase in student engagement. However, it was inconclusive whether the homework completion grade was affected by the pedagogy. The results also showed that the homework had a weak positive correlation with exam performance. The present paper further aims to assess the efficacy of the pedagogy by examining student engagement and student performance across multiple cohorts of the course. Learning management system tools, like chat and polling, were previously shown to be effective qualitative methods for overcoming the passive learning behavior exhibited by EFL students. Thus, a comparison by cohort and in aggregate were performed for the following: student participation at each synchronous Q&A session using the chat feature, student polling throughout the semester (before, during, after), homework grade data, and exam grade data. Student engagement increased 17% in Cohort 2022 compared to 2021, which validated the support for using chat and polling. Students reported in polling that they needed the lean methodology more as the semester progressed even though homework performance wasn’t positively impacted. It was also found that students relied on the lean methodology to complete the midterm and final exams. An analysis of both HW 1 and HW 2 revealed a statistically significant performance benefit in homework assignments by using the lean methodology with a moderate to large effect.

Citation
Format

Rodriguez, A. (2024, June), Assessing the Efficacy of a Pedagogy in an Online Mechanics of Materials Course with EFL Students Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. https://peer.asee.org/46618

TY - CPAPER
AB - English as a foreign language (EFL) students encounter a diverse set of learning challenges due to inherent cultural barriers, like English language communication and misconstrued behaviors from non-verbal communication. Engineering courses involve complex subject matter with nuanced concepts and are commonly structured with prerequisite courses. This requires EFL students to have a proficient level of academic preparation and foundational knowledge. All these factors compound the learning challenge that EFL students must overcome to persist and complete an online engineering course that is taught in English.
The present paper builds on a previous work where a pedagogy with a lean instructional methodology was developed for EFL students in an online Mechanics of Materials course (82% asynchronous and 18% synchronous). The lean methodology relied on reduced question sets for homework, a guided mapping of key technical terms, and alternative text explanations for problem figures. These instructional materials were designed to decrease the student’s cognitive load and establish a toolkit to support their learning. The results of the initial deployment showed an increase in student engagement. However, it was inconclusive whether the homework completion grade was affected by the pedagogy. The results also showed that the homework had a weak positive correlation with exam performance.
The present paper further aims to assess the efficacy of the pedagogy by examining student engagement and student performance across multiple cohorts of the course. Learning management system tools, like chat and polling, were previously shown to be effective qualitative methods for overcoming the passive learning behavior exhibited by EFL students. Thus, a comparison by cohort and in aggregate were performed for the following: student participation at each synchronous Q&amp;amp;A session using the chat feature, student polling throughout the semester (before, during, after), homework grade data, and exam grade data. Student engagement increased 17% in Cohort 2022 compared to 2021, which validated the support for using chat and polling. Students reported in polling that they needed the lean methodology more as the semester progressed even though homework performance wasn’t positively impacted. It was also found that students relied on the lean methodology to complete the midterm and final exams. An analysis of both HW 1 and HW 2 revealed a statistically significant performance benefit in homework assignments by using the lean methodology with a moderate to large effect.
AU - Adrian Rodriguez
CY - Portland, Oregon
DA - 2024/06/23
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Assessing the Efficacy of a Pedagogy in an Online Mechanics of Materials Course with EFL Students
UR - https://peer.asee.org/46618
ER -