Weekly Self-rating of Proficiency with Course Learning Objectives:  Gaining Insight into Undergraduate Students’ Perceptions of their Learning

Toluwalase Opanuga; Heidi A. Diefes-Dux

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Conference: 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Baltimore , Maryland
Publication Date: June 25, 2023
Start Date: June 25, 2023
End Date: June 28, 2023
Conference Session: Biological and Agricultural Engineering Division (BAE) Technical Session 1
Tagged Division: Biological and Agricultural Engineering Division (BAE)
Page Count: 18
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--44608
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/44608
Download Count: 213

Paper Authors

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Toluwalase Opanuga University of Nebraska - Lincoln

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Toluwalase Opanuga is a Ph.D. student in Engineering Education Research at University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and graduate research assistant at the Department of Biological Systems Engineering. She completed her M.S in Industrial Engineering at Eastern Mediterranean University in Turkey and her B.S in Electrical Engineering at University of Ibadan in Nigeria. Her research interest include curriculum and assessment, and faculty development.

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Heidi A. Diefes-Dux University of Nebraska - Lincoln orcid.org/0000-0003-3635-1825

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Heidi A. Diefes-Dux is a Professor in Biological Systems Engineering at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln. She received her B.S. and M.S. in Food Science from Cornell University and her Ph.D. in Food Process Engineering from the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering at Purdue University. She was an inaugural faculty member of the School of Engineering Education at Purdue University. She is currently a Professor in Biological Systems Engineering at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Her role in the College of Engineering at UNL is to lead the disciplinary-based education research initiative, establishing a cadre of engineering education research faculty in the engineering departments and creating a graduate program. Her research focuses on the development, implementation, and assessment of modeling and design activities with authentic engineering contexts; the design and implementation of learning objective-based grading for transparent and fair assessment; and the integration of reflection to develop self-directed learners.

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Abstract

The Completed Paper presents insights into the use of student weekly self-ratings on the course learning objectives. Quizzes, mid-term examinations, and homework are common ways educators assess students' understanding and abilities with the course content. However, these formative assessments do not reveal students’ perceptions of their learning gaps throughout the semester, hence educators are unable to identify individual students’ thoughts on their critical problem areas. Though some common problems may be revealed in conversations with one’s class, even in smaller courses, as seen in Biological and Agricultural Engineering programs, it can be difficult to access the problems students perceive they are having. By using students’ self-rating of their proficiency with the course learning objectives (as a component of self-reflection), educators can assess students' perceptions of their learning progress and make timely instructional adjustments to improve learning.

The purpose of this study was to examine students' self-rated responses on their achievement of course learning objectives in order to identify specific problems and trends in their perspectives as the semester progressed. The research question was "What do students' weekly self-ratings of their proficiency with the course learning objectives say about the gaps in their learning of course content?".

The course used in this study was a junior level introduction to process engineering at research intensive (R1) university in the Midwest region of the United States. The course was offered in the spring semester of 2021; twenty-eight undergraduate engineering students were enrolled. Each week, students were given an authentic problem assignment. After the submission of each assignment, students rated their proficiency with each course learning objective corresponding to the assigned work just completed. There were five possible ratings of proficiency expected from students, ranging from “I can do this on my own without referring to resources” to “I am very lost”. Frequency of proficiency levels selected for each course learning objective were analyzed to identify specific problems and trends in students’ perceived proficiency with the course content through the semester.

Students rated their proficiency with a number of course learning objectives related to robust problem-solving process, technical presentation of results in texts and tables, and formatting plots for technical presentation multiple times across the semester. While students never selected “I am very lost,” there was a steady increase in the percentage of students perceiving that they could demonstrate these objectives with and without referring to course resources. Students’ self-ratings pinpointed weeks in which increased proficiency was interrupted. For instance, in the four-week unit on conservation of mass, a greater percentage of the students expressed that they needed more practice or needed help from someone to draw process flow diagrams in the second week than in the first.

The self-ratings in this study provided more information to the instructor about students’ perceptions of their learning at different periods in the semester. This diagnostic assessment tool can be utilized by educators to identify specific students with difficulty, also where they have the difficulty and how to offer them formative assistance before critical exam periods.

Citation
Format

Opanuga, T., & Diefes-Dux, H. A. (2023, June), Weekly Self-rating of Proficiency with Course Learning Objectives: Gaining Insight into Undergraduate Students’ Perceptions of their Learning Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--44608

TY - CPAPER
AB - The Completed Paper presents insights into the use of student weekly self-ratings on the course learning objectives. Quizzes, mid-term examinations, and homework are common ways educators assess students&#39; understanding and abilities with the course content. However, these formative assessments do not reveal students’ perceptions of their learning gaps throughout the semester, hence educators are unable to identify individual students’ thoughts on their critical problem areas. Though some common problems may be revealed in conversations with one’s class, even in smaller courses, as seen in Biological and Agricultural Engineering programs, it can be difficult to access the problems students perceive they are having. By using students’ self-rating of their proficiency with the course learning objectives (as a component of self-reflection), educators can assess students&#39; perceptions of their learning progress and make timely instructional adjustments to improve learning.

The purpose of this study was to examine students&#39; self-rated responses on their achievement of course learning objectives in order to identify specific problems and trends in their perspectives as the semester progressed. The research question was &quot;What do students&#39; weekly self-ratings of their proficiency with the course learning objectives say about the gaps in their learning of course content?&quot;.

The course used in this study was a junior level introduction to process engineering at research intensive (R1) university in the Midwest region of the United States. The course was offered in the spring semester of 2021; twenty-eight undergraduate engineering students were enrolled. Each week, students were given an authentic problem assignment. After the submission of each assignment, students rated their proficiency with each course learning objective corresponding to the assigned work just completed. There were five possible ratings of proficiency expected from students, ranging from “I can do this on my own without referring to resources” to “I am very lost”. Frequency of proficiency levels selected for each course learning objective were analyzed to identify specific problems and trends in students’ perceived proficiency with the course content through the semester.

Students rated their proficiency with a number of course learning objectives related to robust problem-solving process, technical presentation of results in texts and tables, and formatting plots for technical presentation multiple times across the semester. While students never selected “I am very lost,” there was a steady increase in the percentage of students perceiving that they could demonstrate these objectives with and without referring to course resources. Students’ self-ratings pinpointed weeks in which increased proficiency was interrupted. For instance, in the four-week unit on conservation of mass, a greater percentage of the students expressed that they needed more practice or needed help from someone to draw process flow diagrams in the second week than in the first.

The self-ratings in this study provided more information to the instructor about students’ perceptions of their learning at different periods in the semester. This diagnostic assessment tool can be utilized by educators to identify specific students with difficulty, also where they have the difficulty and how to offer them formative assistance before critical exam periods.
AU - Toluwalase Opanuga
AU - Heidi A. Diefes-Dux
CY - Baltimore , Maryland
DA - 2023/06/25
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Weekly Self-rating of Proficiency with Course Learning Objectives: Gaining Insight into Undergraduate Students’ Perceptions of their Learning
UR - https://peer.asee.org/44608
DO - 10.18260/1-2--44608
ER -