Effect of Contextualization of Content and Concepts on Students' Course Relevance and Value in Introductory Materials Classes

Abstract

is professor in the Materials Science Program in the Fulton School of Engineering at Arizona State University. He teaches in the areas of introductory materials engineering, polymers and composites, and capstone design. His research interests include evaluating conceptual knowledge, misconceptions and technologies to promote conceptual change. He has co-developed a Materials Concept Inventory and a Chemistry Concept Inventory for assessing conceptual knowledge and change for introductory materials science and chemistry classes. He is currently conducting research on NSF projects in two areas. One is studying how strategies of engagement and feedback with support from internet tools and resources affect conceptual change and associated impact on students' attitude, achievement, and persistence. The other is on the factors that promote persistence and success in retention of undergraduate students in engineering. He was a coauthor for best paper award in the Journal of Engineering Education in 2013. Dr. Cindy Waters, North Carolina A&T State UniversityHer research team is skilled matching these newer manufacturing techniques to distinct material choices and the unique materials combination for specific applications. She is also renowned for her work in the Engineering Education realm working with faculty motivation for change and re-design of Material Science courses for more active pedagogies • Student advising and course integration in sustainable concepts and life cycle analysis and material selection considerations.• Innovations in teaching: used innovative teaching methods to enhance the learning experience through introducing problem based case learning techniques in classes and course structure; presentation of paper in National Educators Workshop. Dr. Eugene Judson, Arizona State UniversityEugene Judson is an Associate Professor of for the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University. His past experiences include having been a middle school science teacher, Director of Academic and Instructional Support for the Arizona Department of Education, a research scientist for the Center for Research on Education in Science, Mathematics, Engineering and Technology (CRESMET), and an evaluator for several NSF projects. His first research strand concentrates on the relationship between educational policy and STEM education. His second research strand focuses on studying STEM classroom interactions and subsequent effects on student understanding. He is a co-developer of the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP) and his work has been cited more than 1500 times and his

Contextualized English Reading Proficiency Toolkit (CERPT): Enhance Learners’ English Reading Proficiency

“…This result emerges and replicates a depressing level of reading proficiency by the learners. Krause et al (2016) [1] conversed that the use of content contextualization is supported by three principles: prior knowledge, promoting conceptual change, and promoting metacognition. Firstly, contextualized content instruction activates the learners' prior knowledge and promote more effective problem solving.…”

Ajuste de funções matemáticas de crescimento aos números de casos de pessoas contaminadas com o COVID-19 no Brasil: uma abordagem para o ensino médio

“…Para o segundo princípio, promover a mudança conceitual, a contextualização do conteúdo em atividades de engajamento em sala de aula interativa que motiva os alunos com a relevância de um conceito, melhora significativamente o aprendizado. Para o terceiro princípio, promovendo a metacognição, a contextualização do conteúdo ajuda os alunos a refletir sobre seu aprendizado para unir ideias de um contexto concreto familiar de um conceito abstrato, para que possam reconhecer sua própria relação pessoal com esses conceitos(Krause et al, 2016).…”

WIP: Direct Incorporation of Research Articles into Undergraduate Biomedical Engineering Courses to Contextualize Complex Topics

“…Engineering curricula have a tendency of being strongly rooted in theoretical concepts that do not provide students with real-world examples of course topics [1], [2]. This can lead to student disengagement and may ultimately lead to decreases in student persistence in engineering programs [3]. Contextualizing course topics is a strategy to combat student disengagement by providing real-world examples related to course topics allowing students to see the applications of abstract theoretical concepts [3].…”

“…This can lead to student disengagement and may ultimately lead to decreases in student persistence in engineering programs [3]. Contextualizing course topics is a strategy to combat student disengagement by providing real-world examples related to course topics allowing students to see the applications of abstract theoretical concepts [3]. Providing real-world context for technical topics covered in engineering courses is typically accomplished through case studies [4], [5].…”