Virtual Conference
July 26, 2021
July 26, 2021
July 19, 2022
Computers in Education
Diversity
10
10.18260/1-2--38197
https://peer.asee.org/38197
572
Ahmed Ashraf Butt is a doctoral student at the School of Engineering Education, Purdue University. He is currently working as a research assistant on the CourseMIRROR project funded by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES). He is interested in designing educational tools and exploring their impact on enhancing students' learning experiences. Before Purdue University, Ahmed has worked as a lecturer for two years at the University of Lahore, Pakistan. Additionally, he has been associated with the software industry in various capacities, from developer to consultant.
Saira Anwar is an Instructional Assistant Professor at the Department of Engineering Education, University of Florida. Dr. Anwar has over 12 years of teaching experience, primarily in computer science and software engineering. Her research focuses on studying the unique contribution of different instructional strategies to students' learning and motivation. Also, she is interested in designing interventions that help in understanding conceptually hard concepts in STEM courses. Dr. Anwar is the recipient of the 2020 outstanding researcher award by the School of Engineering Education, Purdue University. Also, she was the recipient of the "President of Pakistan Merit and Talent Scholarship" for her undergraduate studies.
Muhsin Menekse is an Assistant Professor at Purdue University with a joint appointment in the School of Engineering Education and the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. Dr. Menekse's primary research focus is on exploring K-16 students' engagement and learning of engineering and science concepts by creating innovative instructional resources and conducting interdisciplinary quasi-experimental research studies in and out of classroom environments. Dr. Menekse is the recipient of the 2014 William Elgin Wickenden Award by the American Society for Engineering Education. Dr. Menekse also received three Seed-for-Success Awards (in 2017, 2018, and 2019) from Purdue University's Excellence in Research Awards programs in recognition of obtaining three external grants of $1 million or more during each year. His research has been generously funded by grants from the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), Purdue Research Foundation (PRF), and National Science Foundation (NSF).
There has been an increased use of educational technology tools in STEM classrooms in the past few decades. Previous studies have discussed the impact of design, development, and use of educational technology tools on creating an interactive learning environment for students. However, in the realm of user experience, limited studies explored the context of technology and students’ experiences while interacting with educational technology tools, such as student’s perceived ease of use. Accordingly, this work in progress study explores reflections of students’ experience while interacting with the most commonly used education technology tools in postsecondary classrooms. For this study, we recruited thirty undergraduate STEM students from two midwestern educational institutes. Our primary research question was: What are students’ perceptions of using education technology tools in postsecondary STEM classrooms? We collected data using an open-ended questionnaire, where students reported their experiences with educational technology tools in their classes. The students’ data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. The preliminary results indicated that the students broadly used two types of education technology tools. The first type was primarily used to manage the course contents, such as reading materials, grades, quizzes, assignments, and discussion (e.g., Piazza, and Blackboard). The second type was used to keep students engaged during the lectures (e.g., Kahoot and clickers). Thematic analysis revealed the presence of three themes, i.e., students perceived academic relevancy, usefulness, and issues with the education technology tools. This study highlights the students’ perceptions of their interactions with the education technology tools in the post-secondary STEM courses. The study of these perceptions may help us to design better education technology tools for the student-centered learning environments. Furthermore, this preliminary study is a guiding step towards understanding students’ expectations with educational technology tools.
Butt, A. A., & Anwar, S., & Menekse, M. (2021, July), Work in Progress: STEM Students’ Experiences with Educational Technology Tools Paper presented at 2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access, Virtual Conference. 10.18260/1-2--38197
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