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Leveraging LASSI for Measuring ABET Student Outcome 7: Fostering Student Independence in Learning

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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

MECH - Technical Session 14: Advanced Pedagogical Techniques

Tagged Division

Mechanical Engineering Division (MECH)

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/47738

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Paper Authors

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Anahita Ayasoufi Auburn University

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Anahita Ayasoufi is a senior lecturer at Department of Mechanical Engineering of Auburn University. She is the winner of William F. Walker Teaching Award for Excellence and Outstanding Faculty Member Award (student choice).

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Golbou Makki

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Amanda Sterling Auburn University Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0001-6308-932X

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Dr. Amanda Sterling is a mechanical engineer at Auburn University who specializes in engineering design, additive manufacturing, and biomechanics through research, teaching, and innovation. She has published articles on the microstructure and fatigue of additive metals, providing insights into advanced engineering materials. Her research leverages additive manufacturing to design corrective quadruped orthotics, blending art and mechanical design.

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Kyle D Schulze Auburn University

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ASHU SHARMA Auburn University

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Jeffrey C. Suhling Auburn University

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Daniel Kevin Harris

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Abstract

Accurate assessment of ABET Student Outcome 7, ‘Independent Learner skills,' presents a challenge due to its underlying psychological nature. In this study, the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI) is used as a comprehensive tool for accurately quantifying this essential competency. LASSI is a well-researched and robust instrument whose ten scales (Anxiety, Attitude, Concentration, Information Processing, Motivation, Selecting Main Ideas, Self testing, Testing Strategies, Time Management, and Using Academic Resources) are proven to correlate strongly with independent learning and academic success. By implementing this approach (since the Fall of 2020,) the department successfully measured the degree of each relevant LASSI scale in students twice in the program: Once in the beginning, for the freshmen in the Introduction to Mechanical Engineering course, and the second time in Senior Design course near the end of the four-year program. A comparison between the two provides the department with a measure for the efficacy of its delivery of Student Outcome 7. The exposure to LASSI in the freshman year provides the students (and the department) with an image of their current level of skills compared with a national norm. It also teaches the students, indirectly, about the various learning skills that contribute to their academic success. This exposure, in combination with LASSI’s individually tailored suggestions for improvement, acts as an effective intervention, while the department can add to it by providing targeted training and seminars for specific scales. This research highlights the efficacy of LASSI as a reliable and valid tool for measuring the crucial ABET Student Outcome 7 and provides guidance on designing interventions for enhancement of independent learner skills during the program.

Ayasoufi, A., & Makki, G., & Sterling, A., & Schulze, K. D., & SHARMA, A., & Suhling, J. C., & Harris, D. K. (2024, June), Leveraging LASSI for Measuring ABET Student Outcome 7: Fostering Student Independence in Learning Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. https://peer.asee.org/47738

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