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Assessments and Transfer of Knowledge in Case-Based Instruction — Promising Results!

Saleh M. Sbenaty Middle Tennessee State University

Abstract

The current paper outlines the results of an assessment study made over a two-year period of an introductory course entitled “Introduction to Electricity and Electronics.” The students in this course were introduced to real-life case-based instruction using an industry-based case study model entitled “I Want My Pizza Hot.” The assessment tools were developed in cooperation with the Learning Technology Center at Vanderbilt University. The case model was reviewed independently for pedagogical and technical contents and Transfer Task tools were developed to assess student learning. Several instruments have been implemented to assess the effectiveness of the case method as compared with traditional instruction. A summary of the study and its results are presented here.

I. Introduction

Transfer is defined as the application of old or gained information in new settings. For example, asking the students to estimate the area of a circle or a triangle after the students has practiced and mastered the task of estimating the area of a rectangle.

According to De Corte, 1999: “The field of industrial and corporate training is strongly interested in the transfer of learning. This is not at all surprising when one takes into account that business and industry must invest enormous amounts of money in in-service training and retraining of personnel. From that prospective, acquiring of transferable knowledge and skills by workers, employers, and managers is seen as an important component of a “Learning Economy” resulting in a reduction of spending.”

In today’s fast changing world, companies spend large amounts of money on staff training and development. To reduce costs and training time, employers are increasingly interested in improving the way employees apply their acquired knowledge and skills to new settings or situations. The current paper describes an assessment method that can be used to measure this transfer of knowledge. This research is a part of a three-year NSF-funded grant entitled “The South-East Advanced Technological Education Consortium, SEATEC.” The consortium is a collaborative effort of five institutions across Tennessee, the main goal of which is to develop a practical approach to curriculum development, delivery, and assessment for engineering and technological education. This approach brings real-world problems to the classroom and is hoped to enhance learning and retention in these programs. Five case models that address five different areas of engineering and technology were developed and are being field-tested. The SEATEC goals are: Proceedings of the 2002 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright Ó 2002, American Society for Engineering Education

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Sbenaty, S. (2002, June), Assessments And Transfer Of Knowledge In Case Based Instruction Promising Results Paper presented at 2002 Annual Conference, Montreal, Canada. 10.18260/1-2--10839