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1. Global Impact of Experiment-centric Pedagogy and Home-based, Hands-on Learning Workshop at a Historically Black University

   Owolabi, O. A. (July 2021, 2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access)

   null (Ed.)

   With support from the National Science Foundation, an evidence-based experimental centric pedagogy (ECP) is being implemented across STEM disciplines at an historically black university. This is the first of its kind, where the ECP is being extended to several STEM disciplines after its successful implementation in electrical engineering to promote motivation and enhance academic achievement of minority students. One of the project objectives is to organize workshops whereby STEM faculty in biology, chemistry, physics, civil engineering, computer science, industrial engineering and transportation systems will learn how to develop and implement ECP as an active learning pedagogy. This paper highlights the strategies used for planning, publicity, implementation, and assessment of the workshop conducted in Summer 2020. Due to the ongoing pandemic, the workshop was held virtually with 360 participants registering globally. The workshop’s focus was developing and implementing inexpensive home-based hands-on learning activities. Workshop assessment revealed that participants expressed positive outcomes, 84% reported that they believe the workshop was a good use of their time and 83% said they plan to implement what they had learned at the workshop in their own practice, affording the participants more opportunities to include home-based hands-on learning in their curriculum. This project seeks not only to increase public scientific literacy, but to also contribute to the development of a diverse, globally competitive STEM workforce. 

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2. Initial Impact of an Experiment-centric Teaching Approach in Several STEM Disciplines

   https://doi.org/10.18260/1-2--34829  

   Ladeji-Osias, Jumoke 'Kemi'; Owolabi, Oludare; Bista, Krishna; Gaulee, Uttam; Wemida, Ayodeji; Efe, Steve; Oni, Akinyele; Ariyibi, Adedayo; Ndirangu, Caroline; Olanrewaju, Emmanuel; et al (July 2020, 2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference)

   According to National Science Foundation data, African American students comprise 2% of the B.S. degree recipients in the geosciences, 2.6% in physics and 3.9% in engineering, while Blacks comprise 14.9% of the college-aged population. There is therefore an urgent need for Historical Black Colleges and Universities, which produce a large number of African American STEM graduates, to increase their focus on broadening STEM participation among underrepresented black students. Thus, there are untapped opportunities to develop intervention strategies and programs to increase recruitment, retention, and success of minorities in STEM and the workforce. The Experiment Centric Pedagogy (ECP) has been successful in promoting motivation and enhancing academic achievement of African American electrical engineering students. ECP uses a portable electronic instrumentation system, paired with appropriate software and sensors, to measure a wide range of properties, such as vibration and oxygen levels. This work in progress describes the initial adaptation of an evidence-based, experiment-focused teaching approach in biology, chemistry, civil engineering, industrial engineering, transportation systems, and physics. ECP will be utilized in these disciplines in various settings, such as in traditional classrooms, teaching laboratories, and at home use by students. Instructors use ECP for in-class demonstrations, for cooperative group experiments, and for homework assignments. The paper will highlight the criteria used for selection of initial experiments to adapt, the modifications made, and resulting changes in the course delivery. Preliminary results will be provided using measures of key constructs associated with student success, such as motivation, epistemic and perceptual curiosity, engineering identity, and self-efficacy. This project is conducted at a minority serving institution and most participants are from groups historically underrepresented in STEM. 

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3. Utilization of Social Management Theoretical Framework and Program Management Tool to Successfully Manage Large Multi-Department STEM Projects

   1. Owolabi, O. A. (June 2023, ASEE)

   The Adapting an Experiment-Centric Teaching Approach to Increase Student Achievement in Multiple STEM Disciplines is a sponsored experiment-focused hands-on teaching pedagogy developed to promote motivation and academic achievement across seven STEM disciplines. The program is a large educational program with multi-Department STEM projects comprising approximately 200 tasks and 40 personnel. To facilitate the successful implementation of this STEM program, an efficient project management tool called Smartsheet was adopted to manage all the tasks to be carried out and the activities involved. Smartsheet software has helped facilitate efficient project coordination, scheduling deliverables, communicating with and assigning tasks to project team members, monitoring performance, and evaluation. The Smartsheet is a project management tool developed for coordinating and monitoring project activities, promoting productive guidance, efficient communication, appropriate supervision of the project team, optimization of the necessary allocated inputs, and their application to meeting the program’s objectives. The paper describes the effectiveness of the team as we utilized project management tools in managing this large group of STEM projects over the past three years. Additionally, the paper elaborates on the social management theoretical framework on which the project management principles are hinged. The impactful outcomes of the STEM program in increasing academic performance as well as improving key constructs associated with student success such as motivation, epistemic and perceptual curiosity, engineering identity, and selfefficacy through the team effectiveness metrics and the results of the Strength, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis presented in the paper revealed an efficient management strategy anchored on the social management theoretical framework and facilitated by the project management tool. 

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4. Performance-Based Learning: An Innovative Approach to Teaching Engineering Thermodynamics in a Hybrid Learning Environment

   Akinpelu, O. (June 2023, American Society for Engineering Education, 2023. https://strategy.asee.org/43883)

   A cost-effective, secure, and portable electronic instrumentation equipment is used in Experiment Centric Pedagogy (ECP), formerly known as Mobile Hands-On Studio Technology and Pedagogy, as a teaching method for STEM subjects both inside and outside of the classroom. Since the Spring of 2020, ECP has been integrated into two Industrial Engineering (IE) courses: Thermodynamics and Materials Engineering. This has been done in various ways, including through student use at home and in-class demonstrations and teaching labs. During the most recent academic session (Fall 2021–Spring 2022), the effects of practical home-based experimentation and lab activities on students' attitudes, interests, and performance were examined for the Engineering Thermodynamics course. The outcomes of a survey known as the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaires (MLSQ), which was given to 51 students, demonstrated better improvements in the student's motivation, epistemic, and perceptual curiosity, three crucial characteristics linked to their success. Along with the MLSQ, the Classroom Observation Protocol for Undergraduate Students (COPUS) assesses active learning in Industrial Engineering courses, and quantitative and qualitative data on the significant components of student achievement were gathered. Results obtained show that using ECP has improved students' awareness of material properties and increased their interest in learning about the thermodynamics concept of heat transfer in connection to various solid materials. 

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5. Home-based Cantilever Beam Experiment for Civil Engineering Undergraduate Students

   Ikiriko, S. (July 2021, 2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access)

   null (Ed.)

   There is a growing concern in STEM fields during the ongoing pandemic about how students will be able to achieve one of the major learning outcomes; an ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering/scientific judgement to draw conclusions. Experimental Centric Pedagogy (ECP) has been shown to promote motivation and achievement in electrical engineering among black students and students in general. This paper focuses on the development of a hands-on laboratory experiment for undergraduate students in the department of civil engineering using Mobile Hands-On Studio Technology to improve experiential learning. The home-based experiment focuses on the measurement of beam stresses resulting from weights applied to the free-end of the beam while being fixed at the other end. The beam is made up of an acrylic material and has dimensions of 1500 mm in length, 40 mm in width, and 3.175 mm in thickness. Data acquisition from strain gauges installed on the beams was made possible using ALICE Voltmeter which displays voltage readings upon beam displacement. The stress readings are then calibrated and transformed to strains based on hooke’s law relationship. Findings indicate good understanding of concepts, motivation and students learning experiences through teamwork and collaborative activities. and achievement of stated learning outcome. 

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