An Alternative to Videos for Lecture Preparation in a Flipped First-Year Engineering Computing Course

Abstract

This paper describes an evidence-based practice project. At the University of Cincinnati, two courses, Engineering Models I and II, are offered to all first-year engineering students and form a two-semester sequence in which students apply fundamental theories from algebra, trigonometry, calculus and physics to relevant engineering applications chosen from a variety of disciplines. MATLAB ® is introduced and progressively developed as a computing tool to enable students to explore engineering concepts, to investigate solutions to problems too complex for hand solutions, to analyze and present data effectively, and to develop an appreciation of the power and limitations of computer tools. Students are introduced to the basics of programming as well as such ideas as interpolation, curve-fitting, and numeric differentiation and integration, through applications areas such as data analysis, image processing, communications, position tracking, basic mechanics, and system modeling. Throughout the courses, several team projects are introduced requiring the students to use MATLAB ® to develop solutions to open-ended design problems.The Engineering Models sequence was required for all incoming first-year engineering and engineering technology students starting with the 2012-2013 academic year. Lectures, recitation activities, homework assignments, exams, and projects were common across all sections, though some variation existed in how lectures were delivered. In order to reduce variation between sections, a flipped pedagogy was implemented for the 2013-2014 academic year in these courses. Specifically, videos were created from the lecture material which students watched prior to lecture and lecture time was then devoted to solving problems, either in small groups or as a class.Through end-of-semester surveys completed by the students, it was found that many students preferred to simply review the provided slides instead of watching the lectures. While the videos do provide additional content not available solely through the slides, they are still a mostly passive way to gain information (there are practice quizzes available, but the videos themselves do not provide much interaction). To cater to those students who did not gain much from the videos, a system was created that is more interactive. The system, dubbed the Engineering Models Practice System, was created in MATLAB and was modeled after the successful online site Codecademy, where students are presented with course content and are asked to complete simple exercises based on this material. The content available in the practice system is the same as that in the videos, but affords students the opportunity to immediately apply the material towards solving simple problems. This paper will use data from end-of-semester student surveys and performance on course assignments to analyze the effectiveness of the practice system compared to the traditional lecture preparation options.