An official website of the United States government
Student-centered educational system is needed for better educational outcomes. Technology enabled pedagogy has helped immensely during the pandemic times when rapid transition to remote learning was essential. This poster reports findings on year one of a two-year research study to utilize mobile technologies and a technology-enhanced curriculum to improve student engagement and learning in STEM undergraduate courses. This poster describes a quasi-experimental mixed methods study on implementing mobile devices (iPad and Pencil) and a technology-enhanced curriculum in an undergraduate thermal-fluids engineering course, a foundational engineering class. The technology-enabled curriculum was fully integrated in the thermal-fluids course to deliver content and to facilitate student engagement with the content, instructor, and fellow students. This approach leveraged the social-constructivist learning theory - a connected community of learners with classroom peers and co-construction of knowledge where the instructor’s role is that of a subject matter expert who facilitates learning. To examine the impact of mobile devices on student learning, in this two-year study (year one fall 2021 - spring 2022), the following research questions were addressed, hypothesizing improvements in the areas of engagement, enhancement of learning outcomes, and extension of learning to real-life engineering scenarios: (1) Does mobile device use facilitate engagement in thermal-fluid science course content? (Engagement), (2) Does mobile device use increase learning of identified difficult concepts in thermal-fluid science courses as indicated by increased achievement scores? (Enhancement) and (3) What are student perceptions of using mobile devices for solving real-life problems? This poster will provide an overview of the research plan and describe some preliminary research efforts based on year 1 of the project efforts. This work is supported by the NSF: Research Initiation in Engineering Formation (RIEF).
more »
« less
Enhancing engineering education: Investigating the impact of mobile devices on learning in a thermal-fluids course
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected learning at all levels; particularly, in higher education, where levels of independence and self-motivation are required during distance learning. In engineering, distance learning adds another degree of difficulty to an already complex field. Comprehension in engineering requires the repeated use of diagrams, high-level charts, and practice problems. Mobile devices, combined with a technology-enhanced curriculum, provide an excellent platform for learning in engineering as it allows for clear illustration and the transfer of complex ideas at any time and place. In alignment with the social-constructivist framework, these facets of mobile technology provide additional avenues for student engagement and the extension of learning goals. This study utilized the Triple E Framework and a mixed methods approach to investigate the impact of mobile devices on engineering students’ learning in a thermal-fluids course. The overall aim was to understand how mobile technology, combined with a technology-enhanced curriculum, impacts engineering students’ engagement, enhancement, and extension of learning. Findings reveal that students perceived increased levels of engagement when utilizing mobile devices in their learning practices. However, instructional methods were identified to be the key factor leading to engagement. A small effect size of 0.37 was noticed, and a post hoc power analysis resulted in a test power of 0.55. Though a significant difference between students who did and did not utilize mobile devices was not apparent, students with university loaned tablets (iPads) had a larger increase in learning than students without. This paper is based on the author's master's thesis titled “Affordances of Mobile Technology to Facilitate Learning in Undergraduate Thermal-Fluid Sciences,” the represented data reflects content from the same.
more »
« less
- PAR ID:
- 10508602
- Publisher / Repository:
- SAGE Publications
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- International Journal of Mechanical Engineering Education
- ISSN:
- 0306-4190
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
-
A learner-centered higher education ecosystem is essential to effective educational outcomes and societal advancement. Mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets, and tablet computers enable learning anytime and from any location, blurring the boundaries between formal and informal learning. When paired with effective pedagogy, mobile technologies can positively impact the teaching and learning experience for students in high-demand science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines, increasing the flexibility and ease with which they are able to pursue their education while developing their professional identities as engineers. Student retention remains a problem in STEM programs. In engineering, many students do not even make it past their core courses. This poster reports on initial efforts of a two-year research study to utilize mobile technologies and a technology-enhanced curriculum to improve student engagement and learning in STEM undergraduate courses. This (work in progress) poster describes a quasi-experimental mixed methods study on implementing mobile devices (iPad and Pencil) and a technology-enhanced curriculum in an undergraduate thermal-fluids engineering course, a foundational engineering class. Research has indicated that engineering students’ performance in foundational courses is a predictor of future academic success.more » « less
-
Bucks County Community College (Bucks) in collaboration with Drexel University (Drexel) is committed to increasing the number of workforce ready engineers and engineering technicians and to creating a blueprint for 2+2 engineering education programs nationally. Recently, educational reform took an unexpected turn to remote teaching due to the world-wide COVID-19 pandemic. Within our NSF ATE grant to enhance our present engineering technology curriculum we modified and enhanced instructional and student engagement methods to assure workforce readiness of our students in a remote world. Curriculum enhancements within the engineering technology (ET) occupational major at Bucks and the B.S. in ET degree program at Drexel, modifications to delivery of workforce development certification programs through the Bucks Center for Workforce Development (CWD), and college-wide student engagement strategies were implemented to assure quality education and student engagement. Modifications to credit courses included asynchronous online courses, synchronous remote courses, and hybrid courses, which combined remote and on campus laboratory instruction. Our CWD implemented hybrid instruction that included necessary resources for students such as tool kits and borrowed laptop computers. In addition, a college wide program called Bucks+ was implemented through the Bucks Business and Innovation Department to increase enrollment, retention, and workforce readiness of students. The Bucks+ program focuses on student engagement through competition within curriculum, and extracurricular endeavors that prepare students for industry. We will share our successes and challenges within our call to action to engage students in a remote world and to enhance their educational experience through innovative instructional techniques.more » « less
-
The significance of practical experience and visualization in the fluid power discipline, highly tied to students’ success, requires integrating immersive pedagogical tools for enhanced course delivery, offering real-life industry simulation. This study investigates the impact of using virtual reality (VR) technology as an instructional tool on the learning and engagement of 48 mechanical engineering technology (MET) students registered in the MET: 230 Fluid Power course at Purdue University. An interactive VR module on hydraulic grippers was developed utilizing the constructivist learning theory for MET: 230 labs, enabling MET students to explore light- and heavy-duty gripper designs and operation through assembly, disassembly, and testing in a virtual construction environment. A survey consisting of a Likert scale and short-answer questions was designed based on the study’s objective to evaluate the students’ engagement and perceived attitude toward the module. Statistical and natural language processing (NLP) analyses were conducted on the students’ responses. The statistical analysis results revealed that 97% of the students expressed increased excitement, over 90% reported higher engagement, and 87% found the VR lab realistic and practical. The NLP analysis highlighted positive themes such as “engagement”, “valuable experience”, “hands-on learning”, and “understanding”, with over 80% of students endorsing these sentiments. These findings will contribute to future efforts aimed at improving fluid power learning through immersive digital reality technologies, while also exploring alternative approaches for individuals encountering challenges with such technologies.more » « less
-
Westenberg, Dave J (Ed.)ABSTRACT Integrating primary scientific literature into Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) curricula enhances critical thinking, scientific literacy, and communication skills but presents challenges due to complex terminology and data interpretation barriers. To address these challenges, a scaffolded journal club approach was implemented in a Cancer Biology course. The course utilized Hypothes.is web-based annotations, methods presentations, figure annotations, and structured discussions to promote active engagement with the literature. Additionally, integrated science communication assignments—including written, graphical, and video abstracts—provided diverse opportunities for students to develop scientific literacy. This structured approach is designed to facilitate comprehension, encourage proactive learning, and foster confidence in engaging with primary scientific literature. Student feedback highlighted improved ability to dissect research articles, enhanced presentation skills, and increased enjoyment of scientific reading. The journal club model and science communication assignments offer a replicable framework for enhancing primary scientific literature engagement across various STEM disciplines and educational levels.more » « less
