On Effective Methods to Teach Mechanical Design

Harris, Thomas A; Jacobs, H. R.

doi:10.1002/j.2168-9830.1995.tb00189.x

Cited by 32 publications

(29 citation statements)

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“…Indeed, instructors in design courses lament the inability of students to use knowledge from prior courses, such as statics, for practical design purposes (Harris and Jacobs, 1995). In addition, to the extent that design activities draw upon engineering science knowledge, statics can play a key role in design.…”

Section: Conceptualframeworkforstaticsandorigin Ofproposedmetacogmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, to the extent that design activities draw upon engineering science knowledge, statics can play a key role in design. Indeed, instructors in design courses lament the inability of students to use knowledge from prior courses, such as statics, for practical design purposes (Harris and Jacobs, 1995). Several potential flaws in traditional statics instruction have been catalogued recently (Steif and Dollár, 2005), and alternative approaches that might better address conceptual challenges were recommended.…”

Section: Ofproposedmetacognitivestrategymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Improving Problem Solving Performance by Inducing Talk about Salient Problem Features

Steif

LoBue

Kara

et al. 2010

J of Engineering Edu

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Background Across many domains, research has shown that students often fail to select and apply appropriate conceptual knowledge when solving problems. Programs designed to support monitoring skills have been successful in several domains. Purpose (Hypothesis) Critical conceptual knowledge in statics appears to be cued by paying attention to the bodies that are present in a problem, as well as to which ones are interacting and how. The research question addresses whether students can be induced to think about the bodies present, and whether focusing on bodies improves problem solving performance. Design/Method Using a pre‐post test design, written and verbal protocols were obtained for students solving problems before and after instruction. During instruction all students saw the same set of examples and corrected answers, but only the experimental group was asked questions designed to promote body centered talk. Solutions and protocols were coded and analyzed for frequency of body centered talk and solution quality. Results The experimental group showed statistically significant increases in relevant body centered talk after instruction. Both groups improved their ability to represent unknown forces in free body diagrams after instruction, with the experimental group showing a greater, but not statistically significant, improvement. However, for both groups, the error rate in representing unknown forces at an interaction was significantly lower when a student referred to the bodies in the particular interaction. Conclusions Problem solving in conceptually rich domains can improve if, in addition to acquiring conceptual knowledge, students develop strategies for recognizing when and how to apply it.

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Section: Conceptualframeworkforstaticsandorigin Ofproposedmetacogmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Ofproposedmetacognitivestrategymentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving Problem Solving Performance by Inducing Talk about Salient Problem Features

Steif

LoBue

Kara

et al. 2010

J of Engineering Edu

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Because of its importance in engineering curricula, statics continues to enjoy broad attention from the engineering education community. Furthermore, learning in statics is viewed as inadequate: instructors in design courses bemoan the difficulties students have in applying statics as a practical tool in their design projects (Harris and Jacobs, 1995), and performance by students from a variety of institutions in the Statics Concept Inventory Hansen, 2006, 2007) indicates that many students have an inadequate grasp of essential conceptual components of statics. As explained in detail in Dollár and Steif (2008), the OLI Engineering Statics course rests on prior efforts to monitor and assess student learning difficulties in this subject (Steif, 2004, Steif andHansen, 2007), efforts to reinvent the teaching of the subject (Steif and Dollár, 2005), and classroom materials developed to address those difficulties (Dollár and Steif, 2006).…”

Section: Description Of the Courseware Used In The Study-open Learmentioning

confidence: 99%

Study of Usage Patterns and Learning Gains in a Web‐based Interactive Static Course

Steif

Dollár

2009

J of Engineering Edu

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Background Courseware for engineering education can feature many discrete interactive learning elements, and typically student usage is not compelled. To take advantage of such courseware, self‐regulation of learning may be necessary. Evaluation of courseware should consider actual usage, learning gains, and indications of learning self‐regulation. Purpose (Hypothesis) The research question focuses on how students' interactions with the courseware affect their learning gains. The hypothesis tested is that learning gains from online courseware increase with usage, and particularly with usage that suggests learning self‐regulation. Design/Method Students in a lecture‐based statics course were assigned to study previously developed courseware as part of homework assignments. Learning gains were deduced from pre‐ and post‐ paper and pencil diagnostic quizzes, and from the first class exam. Credit was based on quiz scores, rather than courseware usage. Usage of interactive elements of the courseware was inferred from log files of students' interactions with the courseware, and patterns suggesting learning self‐regulation were identified. Results High, statistically significant learning gains were found. Substantial usage was evident, with core learning activities initiated by, on average, three‐quarters of students. Learning gains and performance on the relevant class exam appeared to be more closely correlated with usage that indicated self‐regulation of learning rather than with total usage of the courseware. Conclusions Methods of assessing courseware should go beyond courseware features, learning gains, and student self‐reports of effectiveness to include monitoring of actual usage and analyses relating usage to learning. Self‐regulation of learning is likely to be critical to successful usage of courseware, and courseware should be designed to encourage it.

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“…The most frequentlymentioned themes, with the associated number of teams in parentheses, were as follows: efficient practices, to include responsible coding (7); application or integration of concepts (5); collaboration, coordination, or teamwork (5); delegation or division of tasks (5); enhanced time management or preparedness (5); and increased confidence or comfort level (4). Themes mentioned by at least two teams included decomposition of the problem, instructor help or support, understanding of the real world application, trial and error or iterative activity, and verification of the solution.…”

Section: Metacognitive Prompts -Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Scaffolding Engineering Students to Be the Problem Solvers We Want Them to Be

Clark¹,

Mahboobin²

2016 ASEE Annual Conference &Amp; Exposition Proceedings

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Scaffolding Engineering Students to be the Problem Solvers We Want Them to Be AbstractIn addition to communicating theoretical knowledge, successful engineering education programs equip prospective engineers with the strategies and methods to solve practical problems encountered in the work place. In contrast to many of the limited-scope problems in textbooks,practical problems are open-ended, loosely structured, and complex. Engineering programs have long recognized the need to convey both theoretical and practical knowledge by supplementing textbooks and lectures with laboratory experiences and integrated design projects; however, many of the teaching methods employed in the traditional lecture hall are carried over to the lab environment.In the fall 2014, we observed student difficulty in solving open-ended problems, leading to low achievement outcomes with junior-level bioengineering signals and systems design projects. To drive and improve the development of problem solving skills in our laboratory environment, a three element approach was used that included problem based learning (PBL), flipped instruction, and cognitive apprenticeship. Together, these three elements composed our scaffolding approach, in which a student is supported during the early stages of skill acquisition, and as the skill level increases, support is scaled back. Our hypothesis was that this scaffolding approach, as described in the PBL literature, would lead to enhanced achievement in the fall 2015 on these open-ended laboratory projects.The signals and systems projects required students to design input signals to test and analyze unknown systems using MATLAB programming. The problem based instructional approach for the fall 2015 term began with a series of assignments guiding the students in decomposing the problem into components; this allowed the problem itself to become central to skill development. The flipped instructional environment challenged students to prepare for lab sessions by reviewing programming examples and completing online assessments to gain early feedback before going to the lab sessions. The lab sessions were then reserved for collaborative, hands-on programming practice with peers and just-in-time instructor questioning and monitoring.Students were encouraged to submit periodic progress reports (i.e. design reviews) for instructor feedback and guidance that included their decision justifications. The students, rather than passively taking in information from the instructor, became actively involved in the apprenticeship. As part of this transformed role, the students were encouraged to reflect on changes in their problem solving approaches in the final progress report. The students' reflective responses were then qualitatively analyzed for insight into their problem solving processes. A statistical comparison of the project scores was also done to assess improvement. The instructor's assessment of the students' use of his feedback and their problem solving approaches was gathered via semi-structured interview ...

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On Effective Methods to Teach Mechanical Design

Cited by 32 publications

References 0 publications

Improving Problem Solving Performance by Inducing Talk about Salient Problem Features

Improving Problem Solving Performance by Inducing Talk about Salient Problem Features

Study of Usage Patterns and Learning Gains in a Web‐based Interactive Static Course

Scaffolding Engineering Students to Be the Problem Solvers We Want Them to Be

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