Mehrubeoglu, M., & McLauchlan, L., & Hicks, D., & Yeaman, A., & Vasilyeva, M. (2024, June), Transfer Learning from Math to Engineering and Using Scaffolds through Hands-on Learning to Build New Engineering Skills in Sensors and Systems Course  Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. https://peer.asee.org/48172

\bibitem{asee_peer_48172}
  Mehrubeoglu, M., \& McLauchlan, L., \& Hicks, D., \& Yeaman, A., \& Vasilyeva, M. (2024, June), \emph{Transfer Learning from Math to Engineering and Using Scaffolds through Hands-on Learning to Build New Engineering Skills in Sensors and Systems Course}
  Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition, Portland, Oregon.
  https://peer.asee.org/48172

Mehrube Mehrubeoglu, Lifford McLauchlan, David Hicks, Adetoun Yeaman, and Maria Vasilyeva.  "Transfer Learning from Math to Engineering and Using Scaffolds through Hands-on Learning to Build New Engineering Skills in Sensors and Systems Course".  2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon, 2024, June.  ASEE Conferences, 2024.  https://peer.asee.org/48172 Internet.  30 Jul, 2024

\bibitem{asee_peer_48172}
  Mehrube Mehrubeoglu, Lifford McLauchlan, David Hicks, Adetoun Yeaman, and Maria Vasilyeva.
  "Transfer Learning from Math to Engineering and Using Scaffolds through Hands-on Learning to Build New Engineering Skills in Sensors and Systems Course".
  \emph{2024 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition, Portland, Oregon, 2024, June}.
  ASEE Conferences, 2024.
  https://peer.asee.org/48172 Internet.  30 Jul, 2024

@INPROCEEDINGS{asee_peer_48172
author = "Mehrube Mehrubeoglu, Lifford McLauchlan, David Hicks, Adetoun Yeaman, and Maria Vasilyeva"
title = "Transfer Learning from Math to Engineering and Using Scaffolds through Hands-on Learning to Build New Engineering Skills in Sensors and Systems Course"
booktitle = "2024 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition"
year = "2024"
month = "June"
address = "Portland, Oregon"
publisher = "ASEE Conferences"
note = {https://peer.asee.org/48172}
}

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - Transfer of learning from mathematics to engineering entails relating and applying theoretical concepts learned in mathematics courses to engineering concepts and courses. The project team investigated engineering students’ skills in transferring learning from mathematics to engineering in an engineering Sensors and Systems course, and based on the results developed scaffolding exercises to lead students to their team- and project-based final project that incorporated the targeted skills through hands-on engaged student learning.
This work targeted the following research question: Can transfer of learning be successfully achieved in remote hands-on engaged student learning (ESL) scenarios? 

First, the mathematics faculty studied the sensors and systems course material, and identified relevant mathematical background that the students should remember and build on in the engineering course. Three assignments were prepared for the Sensors and Systems course to assess the students’ readiness to transfer the learned math skills to the sensors and systems engineering concepts:
1.   Linearization
2.   Units (and unit conversions)
3.   Calibration (by calculating the transfer function from data)

It was discovered that students:  
1. had forgotten and had to remember some of the math concepts if they took the math course over a year before the senior-level Sensors and Systems course. 
2. experienced challenges relating the mathematical concepts they learned in mathematics courses to cases and examples presented in the engineering Sensors and Systems course that utilized those same mathematical concepts to solve, describe or analyze an engineering process or application due to different symbology used in the math and engineering courses. 
3. self-discovered math topics that they had to revisit to be successful in the engineering course.

Students were assisted by the engineering course instructor to build scaffolds from what they had learned in math to develop the targeted engineering skills in a problem-based learning assignment encapsulated in the course’s hands-on sensor-related team project. This team-based final project entailed hands-on engagement with sensors and required interfacing sensors to microcontrollers, or designing circuitry to drive an actuator based on sensor data.  
The findings suggest that at the beginning of this engineering course, students need some assistance to remember and then achieve transfer of learning from mathematics concepts to engineering applications. The built scaffolds facilitate incremental learning through which students can achieve larger goals, such as a larger-scope final class project within a collaborative team environment that also benefits from peer learning. 

This paper will present the details of the relevant math concepts for sensors and systems that were targeted for transfer of learning, and scaffolds faculty built to guide the students towards developing a team-based final project through hands-on engaged student learning in the students’ chosen location and time, giving students flexibility to succeed to answer the posed research question.

AU  - Mehrube Mehrubeoglu
AU  - Lifford McLauchlan
AU  - David Hicks
AU  - Adetoun Yeaman
AU  - Maria Vasilyeva
CY  - Portland, Oregon
DA  - 2024/06/23
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Transfer Learning from Math to Engineering and Using Scaffolds through Hands-on Learning to Build New Engineering Skills in Sensors and Systems Course
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/48172
ER  -