Insights Provided by Student Feedback on Integrated E-Learning Modules Covering Entrepreneurial Topics

Ronald Harichandran; Maria-isabel Carnasciali; Nadiye Erdil; Jean Nocito-Gobel

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Conference: 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Publication Date: August 23, 2022
Start Date: June 26, 2022
End Date: June 29, 2022
Conference Session: Entrepreneurship & Engineering Innovation Division Technical Session 2
Page Count: 12
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--41353
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/41353
Download Count: 319

Paper Authors

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Maria-isabel Carnasciali University of New Haven

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Maria-Isabel is currently an Assistant Provost and professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of New Haven. She teaches courses related to thermo-fluid systems – including Engineering Thermodynamics, Fluid Mechanics, Thermo/Fluids Laboratory, and Applied CFD. In addition to her education research and assessment related work, she involves graduate and undergraduate students in her technical research spanning validation of CFD models for aerospace and renewable energy applications as well as optimizing efficiency of thermal-fluid systems. In her free time, she is likely out sailing!

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Nadiye Erdil University of New Haven

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Ronald Harichandran University of New Haven

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Ron Harichandran has served as the Dean of the Tagliatela College of Engineering at the University of New Haven since August 2011. During his tenure as dean he has let curricular and programmatic innovations to develop technical communication skills and an entrepreneurial mindset in all engineering and computer science undergraduate students. He also leads the First-Year and Career Mentorship programs in the college.

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Jean Nocito-Gobel University of New Haven

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Abstract

As a best practice, it is customary to ask students for their feedback on curricular interventions. The feedback is typically used to justify further changes and ascertain how well they may accept the intervention for broader implementation. At the University of New Haven, 18 e-learning modules were developed and integrated into courses spanning the 4-year engineering and computer science majors' curricula. The modules centered on topics seen to contribute to the development of students’ entrepreneurial mindset. We saw this as a way to assist faculty in leveraging entrepreneurial minded learning (EML) in their courses when the topics are likely outside their area of expertise. The development, integration, and students’ learning assessment efforts of the e-learning modules have been the topics of many of our previous papers and presentations.

This paper focuses on an in-depth analysis of the feedback collected from students regarding the modules and their integration. Our faculty have been using the modules for over five years. In that span, we have collected over 1000 student responses to an end-of-term survey administered in every course in which a module was integrated. The survey includes questions pertaining to time spent on the module and the associated course assignment, their level of agreement related to statements about their perceived effectiveness of the curricular intervention, and open-ended response questions focused on what they liked/did not like about the modules and their integration.

Our findings thus far reveal a positive trend in the students’ perception of the e-learning modules and their integration over the span of the deployment. Correlation analysis of several indicators provide further insights about students' attitudes towards the modules. For example, students place more value on the module if they see a connection between the module content and the content of the course, as well as if the instructor reinforces what they learned in the module through a contextual activity. However, despite students seeing value in the module or stating that the assignment supported the concepts taught in the module, we do not find a strong correlation to students expressing interest in additional modules of this type integrated into their courses. These findings are insightful and timely given the increased use of hybrid learning in a COVID and post-COVID academic environment.

Citation
Format

Carnasciali, M., & Erdil, N., & Harichandran, R., & Nocito-Gobel, J. (2022, August), Insights Provided by Student Feedback on Integrated E-Learning Modules Covering Entrepreneurial Topics Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. 10.18260/1-2--41353

TY - CPAPER
AB - As a best practice, it is customary to ask students for their feedback on curricular interventions. The feedback is typically used to justify further changes and ascertain how well they may accept the intervention for broader implementation. At the University of New Haven, 18 e-learning modules were developed and integrated into courses spanning the 4-year engineering and computer science majors' curricula. The modules centered on topics seen to contribute to the development of students’ entrepreneurial mindset. We saw this as a way to assist faculty in leveraging entrepreneurial minded learning (EML) in their courses when the topics are likely outside their area of expertise. The development, integration, and students’ learning assessment efforts of the e-learning modules have been the topics of many of our previous papers and presentations.

This paper focuses on an in-depth analysis of the feedback collected from students regarding the modules and their integration. Our faculty have been using the modules for over five years. In that span, we have collected over 1000 student responses to an end-of-term survey administered in every course in which a module was integrated. The survey includes questions pertaining to time spent on the module and the associated course assignment, their level of agreement related to statements about their perceived effectiveness of the curricular intervention, and open-ended response questions focused on what they liked/did not like about the modules and their integration.

Our findings thus far reveal a positive trend in the students’ perception of the e-learning modules and their integration over the span of the deployment. Correlation analysis of several indicators provide further insights about students' attitudes towards the modules. For example, students place more value on the module if they see a connection between the module content and the content of the course, as well as if the instructor reinforces what they learned in the module through a contextual activity. However, despite students seeing value in the module or stating that the assignment supported the concepts taught in the module, we do not find a strong correlation to students expressing interest in additional modules of this type integrated into their courses. These findings are insightful and timely given the increased use of hybrid learning in a COVID and post-COVID academic environment.

AU - Maria-isabel Carnasciali
AU - Nadiye Erdil
AU - Ronald Harichandran
AU - Jean Nocito-Gobel
CY - Minneapolis, MN
DA - 2022/08/23
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Insights Provided by Student Feedback on Integrated E-Learning Modules Covering Entrepreneurial Topics
UR - https://peer.asee.org/41353
DO - 10.18260/1-2--41353
ER -