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Work in Progress--Analysis of Flipped Classrooms in Thermodynamics Courses

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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

Energy Conversion and Conservation Technical Session 5: Strategies for Increasing Classroom Engagement

Page Count

12

DOI

10.18260/1-2--40401

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/40401

Download Count

326

Paper Authors

biography

M. David Burghardt Hofstra University

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Dr. M. David Burghardt, P.E., CEng., Professor of Engineering, Founder and co-Director of the Center for STEM Research and former Chair of Engineering and of Computer Science, is the author of twelve texts in thermodynamics, diesel engines and engineering fundamentals. In the past 25 years, Dr. Burghardt working with colleagues in the Center for STEM Research has won nearly $40 million of National Science Foundation grants in the area of STEM research. Much of the work has sought to bring engineering design to the foreground of teaching as a pedagogical strategy.

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Deborah Hecht

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Abstract

As a result of Covid, faculty made a great many changes to how they teach as additional resources were developed for remote instruction. Even as students return to in-person instruction, these resources may offer unique opportunities to enhance student learning. This paper will explore how we have used videotaped lectures created for remote delivery of two thermodynamics courses: an introductory course and an applications course, to implement a flipped classroom structure. In this model, rather than information being shared in a group setting, the instructor provides individual feedback as students work on problems in small, self-selected groups. We will describe how these classes were delivered and present preliminary analyses of data used to study student attitudes, expectations and learning from the student and faculty perspectives.

This paper reports on feedback collected from student surveys, student interviews and instructor reflections. The study is based on data collected during Fall 2021 at a predominately undergraduate institution. Each class has 30 students enrolled. The introductory course is typically taken by upper sophomores, lower juniors and the second course taken by seniors. Student surveys were collected from all students periodically during the semester about how they were studying and learning. Student interviews further explored these experiences. Finally, instructor reflections examined how this approach to flipped classrooms is implemented and how it enhances the student experience. These data provide insights about how faculty and students can use this new approach to instruction and learning. The data suggest student responsibility for learning become more student focused and student controlled as work shifts from the tradition model of attending in-class lectures and taking notes, to watching videos before class, taking notes and working problems to prepare for an in-class, interactive experience. Based on these data, the authors propose a five-element model for implementation of STEM flipped classrooms. This model includes three student- focused and two instructor-focused elements.

Burghardt, M. D., & Hecht, D. (2022, August), Work in Progress--Analysis of Flipped Classrooms in Thermodynamics Courses Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. 10.18260/1-2--40401

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