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1. Exploring the Relationships Among Middle School Students’ Peer Interactions, Task Efficiency, and Learning Engagement in Game-Based Learning

   https://doi.org/10.1177/1046878120907940  

   Moon, Jewoong ; Ke, Fengfeng ( March 2020 , Simulation & Gaming)

   Background. Middle school students’ math anxiety and low engagement have been major issues in math education. In order to reduce their anxiety and support their math learning, game-based learning (GBL) has been implemented. GBL research has underscored the role of social dynamics to facilitate a qualitative understanding of students’ knowledge. Whereas students’ peer interactions have been deemed a social dynamic, the relationships among peer interaction, task efficiency, and learning engagement were not well understood in previous empirical studies.

   Method. This mixed-method research implemented E-Rebuild, which is a 3D architecture game designed to promote students’ math problem-solving skills. We collected a total of 102 50-minutes gameplay sessions performed by 32 middle school students. Using video-captured and screen-recorded gameplaying sessions, we implemented behavior observations to measure students’ peer interaction efficiency, task efficiency, and learning engagement. We used association analyses, sequential analysis, and thematic analysis to explain how peer interaction promoted students’ task efficiency and learning engagement.

   Results. Students’ peer interactions were negatively related to task efficiency and learning engagement. There were also different gameplay patterns by students’ learning/task-relevant peer-interaction efficiency (PIE) level. Students in the low PIE group tended to progress through game tasks more efficiently than those in the high PIE group. The results of qualitative thematic analysis suggested that the students in the low PIE group showed more reflections on game-based mathematical problem solving, whereas those with high PIE experienced distractions during gameplay.

   Discussion. This study confirmed that students’ peer interactions without purposeful and knowledge-constructive collaborations led to their low task efficiency, as well as low learning engagement. The study finding shows further design implications: (1) providing in-game prompts to stimulate students’ math-related discussions and (2) developing collaboration contexts that legitimize students’ interpersonal knowledge exchanges with peers.

    

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2. Closing the Skills Gap: Construction and Engineering Education Using Mixed Reality – A Case Study

   https://doi.org/10.1109/FIE.2018.8658992  

   Wu, Wei ; Tesei, Aaron ; Ayer, Steven ; London, Jeremi ; Luo, Yupeng ; Gunji, Venkata ( October 2018 , 2018 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE))

   This research work-in-progress paper investigated the application of emerging mixed reality (MR) technology in construction and engineering education. The construction industry is facing a severe shortage of skilled workforce. As the baby boomers are retiring, the younger generation, especially college students, are often criticized for their lack of professional experience and career-specific competency. To close the skills gap and accelerate the transition of college students to competent workforce, this paper proposed a new genre of learning and professional training using MR. The main promise of the MR technology resides in its ability to augment virtual contents on top of the physical reality to facilitate tacit knowledge learning, and simulate learning activities that traditionally can only be obtained from actual professional experience. An undergraduate wood framing lab was designed as a case study to explore how students might perform in this new learning and training environment. Specifically, the case study investigated if MR would facilitate student design comprehension and transfer such understanding into the knowledge and skills needed to build the wood structure. A randomly selected student control group was given traditional paper-based construction drawings to perform the same tasks with other student groups with various visualization technology assistance. Project performance and behavior of student groups were compared to determine if there was a significant difference between the control group and the experiment groups. A pair of pre- and post-survey on MR-intervened learning experience was also conducted to explore student perceptions towards this new genre of learning and training. The research design proposed in this work-in-progress study and its preliminary results could be a good reference and foundation to future research in this arena. 

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3. A learning analytics approach towards understanding collaborative inquiry in a problem‐based learning environment

   https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13198  

   Saleh, Asmalina ; Phillips, Tanner M. ; Hmelo‐Silver, Cindy E. ; Glazewski, Krista D. ; Mott, Bradford W. ; Lester, James C. ( February 2022 , British Journal of Educational Technology)

   This exploratory paper highlights how problem‐based learning (PBL) provided the pedagogical framework used to design and interpret learning analytics from Crystal Island: EcoJourneys, a collaborative game‐based learning environment centred on supporting science inquiry. In Crystal Island: EcoJourneys, students work in teams of four, investigate the problem individually and then utilize a brainstorming board, an in‐game PBL whiteboard that structured the collaborative inquiry process. The paper addresses a central question: how can PBL support the interpretation of the observed patterns in individual actions and collaborative interactions in the collaborative game‐based learning environment? Drawing on a mixed method approach, we first analyzed students' pre‐ and post‐test results to determine if there were learning gains. We then used principal component analysis (PCA) to describe the patterns in game interaction data and clustered students based on the PCA. Based on the pre‐ and post‐test results and PCA clusters, we used interaction analysis to understand how collaborative interactions unfolded across selected groups. Results showed that students learned the targeted content after engaging with the game‐based learning environment. Clusters based on the PCA revealed four main ways of engaging in the game‐based learning environment: students engaged in low to moderate self‐directed actions with (1) high and (2) moderate collaborative sense‐making actions, (3) low self‐directed with low collaborative sense‐making actions and (4) high self‐directed actions with low collaborative sense‐making actions. Qualitative interaction analysis revealed that a key difference among four groups in each cluster was the nature of verbal student discourse: students in the low to moderate self‐directed and high collaborative sense‐making cluster actively initiated discussions and integrated information they learned to the problem, whereas students in the other clusters required more support. These findings have implications for designing adaptive support that responds to students' interactions with in‐game activities.

   What is already known about this topic

   Learning analytic methods have been effective for understanding student learning interactions for the purposes of assessment, profiling student behaviour and the effectiveness of interventions.

   However, the interpretation of analytics from these diverse data sets are not always grounded in theory and challenges of interpreting student data are further compounded in collaborative inquiry settings, where students work in groups to solve a problem.

   What this paper adds

   Problem‐based learning as a pedagogical framework allowed for the design to focus on individual and collaborative actions in a game‐based learning environment and, in turn, informed the interpretation of game‐based analytics as it relates to student's self‐directed learning in their individual investigations and collaborative inquiry discussions.

   The combination of principal component analysis and qualitative interaction analysis was critical in understanding the nuances of student collaborative inquiry.

   Implications for practice and/or policy

   Self‐directed actions in individual investigations are critical steps to collaborative inquiry. However, students may need to be encouraged to engage in these actions.

   Clustering student data can inform which scaffolds can be delivered to support both self‐directed learning and collaborative inquiry interactions.

   All students can engage in knowledge‐integration discourse, but some students may need more direct support from teachers to achieve this.

    

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4. Modeling 3D Plants: Student Achievement Through Productive Failure

   Arango-Caro, S ; Langewisch, T ; Ying, K ; Arellano, M ; Callis-Duehl, K. ( October 2023 , Society for the Advancement of Biology Education Research (SABER) Midwest)

   To be successful in their future careers, students must be able to process information, devise creative solutions, and apply previous knowledge to new situations. Learning through only traditional teaching practices that rely heavily on lecture format and memorization is insufficient to prepare students for the future. Interactive project-based learning that experiences productive failure provides the opportunity for students to problem-solve novel topics and potentially fail at finding the solution. Through explanation, elaboration, comparison of iterations, refinement, and implementations, students can be more prepared to solve future problems. Our study examined the benefits of productive failure on high school students from both formal and informal learning environments working in collaborative teams to design and create 3D plant models. This STEAM project integrates science, design, and technology through innovative learning experiences in plant and agricultural science using emergent technologies. This learning experience encourages students to work together in collaborative teams of self-identified science, technophile, and art students to create 3D models of plants used in research at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis, MO. Students learn about scientific research, the importance of plants in our society, and practice science communication skills. To create the 3D models, students must learn-by-doing to become proficient in using previously unfamiliar 3D modeling software where their teachers are merely facilitators. Students become active participants in their own learning by overcoming challenges through research, troubleshooting, teamwork, and perseverance. We used a mixed-method assessment approach comparing pre- and post-reflection questions. Students experience many challenges with learning the 3D model programs. They reported that they overcame difficulties working with the 3D modeling programs primarily through help from others and consulting outside resources, such as YouTube videos, as well as through continued effort. Students indicated that they faced challenges when creating their models but recognized that this project was a learning experience. Productive failure through the process of struggling and learning from one’s mistakes can encourage positive learning outcomes and give students a better ability to overcome future challenges. 

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5. Implementing Professional Skills Training in STEM: A Review of the Literature

   Gansemer-Topf, Ann ; Li, Qing ; Jiang, Shan ; Okudan-Kremer, Gul ; Reuel, Nigel ; Mort, Rebecca. ( October 2020 , ASEE North Midwest Section Annual Conference 2020)

   Background: Project management and other professional skill training is often lacking in graduate student education, typically as a result of limited resources, lack of faculty buy-in, and narrow focus on thesis research. To address this need and with support from NSF, we are developing the Graduates for Advancing Professional Skills (GAPS) program at Iowa State University. To aid the initial development of this program, we conducted a literature review to understand the current context of the development and implementation of professional skills in higher education curricula, with specific interest in STEM fields. Purpose: The purpose of our study was to identify best practices related to implementing professional development skills into an academic curriculum. The goal was to utilize this information in the development, planning, implementation, and assessment of our GAPS program. Design: We engaged in a systematic literature review. We focused on the curricular and pedagogical approaches to implementing these skills, results of the initiatives, and methodologies used to assess their effectiveness. Results: Our literature review uncovered the “messiness” of teaching and learning of skills such as project management. There is often not one approach or definition of project management – it may change based on scope of project and context. Successful implementation requires adaptability, mentorship, problem solving, creativity, and communication. Additionally, project management has been referred to as a “threshold concept” and requires a certain level of intuition that cannot necessarily be gained through traditional classroom education. Conclusions: There appears to be an agreement on the importance of implementing project management skills at the postsecondary level. Our work illustrates the difficulty associated with undertaking this endeavor and provides guidance on approaches that can make these initiatives more beneficial. Although this literature was conducted to aid in the planning for our specific project, the synthesis of the extant works can inform other faculty and industry leaders who are interested in teaching and applying project management techniques in their courses or companies. 

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