Help Me Help You: Educational Value, Perceived Usefulness, and Creativity of Student-generated Course Review Material

Jakob C Bruhl; Richard J.H. Gash; William Clarence Pyant

Download Paper | Permalink

Conference: 2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
Publication Date: June 26, 2016
Start Date: June 26, 2016
End Date: June 29, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-692-68565-5
ISSN: 2153-5965
Conference Session: Viewpoints, Perspectives, and Creativity in Civil Engineering Education
Tagged Division: Civil Engineering
Page Count: 24
DOI: 10.18260/p.25452
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/25452
Download Count: 634

Paper Authors

biography

Jakob C Bruhl P.E. U.S. Military Academy orcid.org/0000-0002-1645-4520

visit author page

Lieutenant Colonel Jakob Bruhl is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering at the United States Military Academy, West Point, NY. He received his B.S. from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, M.S. Degrees from the University of Missouri at Rolla and the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign, and Ph.D. from Purdue University. He is a registered Professional Engineer in Missouri. His research interests include resilient infrastructure, protective structures, and engineering education.

visit author page

biography

Richard J.H. Gash United States Military Academy

visit author page

Lieutenant Colonel Richard Gash is an Engineer Officer in the United States Army. He is currently assigned as an assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. He has earned an MS in Geology and Geophysics from the University of Missouri, Science and Technology and a PhD in Structural Engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles. He is a registered professional engineer in the State of Ohio. His research interests include structural response to ground motion, soil-structure interaction, and engineering education

visit author page

biography

William Clarence Pyant III Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering, United States Military Acadamy

visit author page

Major William Pyant III is an Instructor in the Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering at the United States Military Academy, West Point, NY. He received his B.S. from the United States Military Academy and his M.S. in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Purdue University. His research interests include orbital mechanics, optimization in aerospace systems, and engineering education.

visit author page

Download Paper | Permalink

Abstract

Supplemental instructional material provides a variety of content delivery, outside of regular class meetings, to meet student learning style preferences. Many of these tools are engaging and interactive, but most of them have one thing in common: they were created for students by teachers. Meanwhile, of their own accord, students create study aids in preparation for mid-term or final exams. These tools vary in style, method, complexity, and completeness. This paper examines possible educational benefits of student-generated course review material in comparison to traditional, teacher generated review materials across various incoming student GPA's and learning styles.

In the first two mechanics courses taken by engineering students at XXXX, students were given an assignment near the end of the semester to create a study aid. This assignment was designed to combine creativity with students understanding of technical content and require students to clearly communicate the content. Only general guidance was provided in order to reduce unnecessary constraints and encourage creativity. Study aids were created by groups of 2 or 3 students on a specific topic from the course. The types of student-generated products included: short instructional videos, solutions to example problems, topic outlines, and written summaries of course material. Once vetted by the instructors, these student generated tools were posted to the course web page and made available to the rest of the students to use during final exam preparation.

As part of the assignment each student completed learning styles and creativity surveys. Student access to each type of study aid via the course web page was measured and compared to assess students’ perceived value of one type of study aid over another. Using current course grades, likelihood to use specific study aids based on previous performance in the course was also assessed. Results from the learning styles and creativity surveys were used to assess which types of study aids were made by students with particular learning style preferences or creative tendencies.

Citation
Format

Bruhl, J. C., & Gash, R. J., & Pyant, W. C. (2016, June), Help Me Help You: Educational Value, Perceived Usefulness, and Creativity of Student-generated Course Review Material Paper presented at 2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, New Orleans, Louisiana. 10.18260/p.25452

TY - CPAPER
AB - Supplemental instructional material provides a variety of content delivery, outside of regular class meetings, to meet student learning style preferences. Many of these tools are engaging and interactive, but most of them have one thing in common: they were created for students by teachers. Meanwhile, of their own accord, students create study aids in preparation for mid-term or final exams. These tools vary in style, method, complexity, and completeness. This paper examines possible educational benefits of student-generated course review material in comparison to traditional, teacher generated review materials across various incoming student GPA&#39;s and learning styles.

In the first two mechanics courses taken by engineering students at XXXX, students were given an assignment near the end of the semester to create a study aid. This assignment was designed to combine creativity with students understanding of technical content and require students to clearly communicate the content. Only general guidance was provided in order to reduce unnecessary constraints and encourage creativity. Study aids were created by groups of 2 or 3 students on a specific topic from the course. The types of student-generated products included: short instructional videos, solutions to example problems, topic outlines, and written summaries of course material. Once vetted by the instructors, these student generated tools were posted to the course web page and made available to the rest of the students to use during final exam preparation.

As part of the assignment each student completed learning styles and creativity surveys. Student access to each type of study aid via the course web page was measured and compared to assess students’ perceived value of one type of study aid over another. Using current course grades, likelihood to use specific study aids based on previous performance in the course was also assessed. Results from the learning styles and creativity surveys were used to assess which types of study aids were made by students with particular learning style preferences or creative tendencies.
AU - Jakob C Bruhl P.E.
AU - Richard J.H. Gash
AU - William Clarence Pyant III
CY - New Orleans, Louisiana
DA - 2016/06/26
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Help Me Help You: Educational Value, Perceived Usefulness, and Creativity of Student-generated Course Review Material
UR - https://peer.asee.org/25452
DO - 10.18260/p.25452
ER -