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1. Initial Findings of Engineering Faculties’ Perceptions of Mastery Assessment in a Project-based Engineering Program

   Atwood, Sara A; Scalaro, Kelsey; Holcombe, Rebecca (June 2024, American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference)

   The purpose of this NSF grantees poster is to disseminate initial findings on faculty perception of mastery-based assessment in a project-based engineering program as part of an NSF Broadening Participation award. It is understood that pedagogical approaches influence more than what students learn but also impact their mindsets, motivation, and how they see themselves as engineers. Mastery-based teaching has seen growing popularity in engineering education as faculty strive to support students in achieving learning outcomes linked with continuous improvement to promote performance and persistence. However, this teaching approach has specific challenges as it requires significant restructuring of assessment practices including assignments, exams, evaluation processes, and grading. This work seeks to better understand faculty perspectives of assessment within mastery-based teaching to support a user-oriented perspective that can help other engineering faculty navigate the challenges of using evidence-based teaching practices in their own classrooms. This paper focuses on qualitative findings from an initial pilot study from a larger, NSF-funded Broadening Participation project at a small, Eastern private college. This exploratory pilot study includes the perceptions of two engineering faculty members using mastery teaching and assessment in a project-based engineering program. A semi-structured interview with multiple open-ended questions was used to prompt participants to share their experiences with assessment in relation to their self-efficacy around teaching and their perceptions of assessment in relation to their students’ learning, confidence, and agency. Directed content and thematic analysis were used to identify codes and develop themes in relation to how participants described certain features of assessment in their engineering program. Preliminary results will illustrate features of mastery assessment that faculty highlighted as particularly challenging or successful and related lessons learned. The initial themes and patterns identified in this preliminary pilot study will be used to set up a more focused secondary full data collection phase in the larger study. Additionally, this poster serves as an opportunity to initiate important dialogue around the implementation of mastery-based assessment and project-based learning in engineering programs and to better support engineering faculty in incorporating elements of mastery-based teaching and assessment. 

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2. Partnering Undergraduate Engineering Students with Preservice Teachers to Design and Teach an Elementary Engineering Lesson Through Ed+gineering

   Gutierrez, K.; Ringleb, S.; Kidd, J.; Ayala, O.; Pazos, P.; Kaipa, K. (June 2020, 2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access, Virtual Online)

   Major challenges in engineering education include retention of undergraduate engineering students (UESs) and continued engagement after the first year when concepts increase in difficulty. Additionally, employers, as well as ABET, look for students to demonstrate non-technical skills, including the ability to work successfully in groups, the ability to communicate both within and outside their discipline, and the ability to find information that will help them solve problems and contribute to lifelong learning. Teacher education is also facing challenges given the recent incorporation of engineering practices and core ideas into the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and state level standards of learning. To help teachers meet these standards in their classrooms, education courses for preservice teachers (PSTs) must provide resources and opportunities to increase science and engineering knowledge, and the associated pedagogies. To address these challenges, Ed+gineering, an NSF-funded multidisciplinary collaborative service learning project, was implemented into two sets of paired-classes in engineering and education: a 100 level mechanical engineering class (n = 42) and a foundations class in education (n = 17), and a fluid mechanics class in mechanical engineering technology (n = 23) and a science methods class (n = 15). The paired classes collaborated in multidisciplinary teams of 5-8 undergraduate students to plan and teach engineering lessons to local elementary school students. Teams completed a series of previously tested, scaffolded activities to guide their collaboration. Designing and delivering lessons engaged university students in collaborative processes that promoted social learning, including researching and planning, peer mentoring, teaching and receiving feedback, and reflecting and revising their engineering lesson. The research questions examined in this pilot, mixed-methods research study include: (1) How did PSTs’ Ed+gineering experiences influence their engineering and science knowledge?; (2) How did PSTs’ and UESs’ Ed+gineering experiences influence their pedagogical understanding?; and (3) What were PSTs’ and UESs’ overall perceptions of their Ed+gineering experiences? Both quantitative (e.g., Engineering Design Process assessment, Science Content Knowledge assessment) and qualitative (student reflections) data were used to assess knowledge gains and project perceptions following the semester-long intervention. Findings suggest that the PSTs were more aware and comfortable with the engineering field following lesson development and delivery, and often better able to explain particular science/engineering concepts. Both PSTs and UESs, but especially the latter, came to realize the importance of planning and preparing lessons to be taught to an audience. UESs reported greater appreciation for the work of educators. PSTs and UESs expressed how they learned to work in groups with multidisciplinary members—this is a valuable lesson for their respective professional careers. Yearly, the Ed+gineering research team will also request and review student retention reports in their respective programs to assess project impact. 

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3. How can science teacher educators best prepare students to teach engineering practices?

   Gutierrez, K; Ayala, OM; Kidd, JJ; Ringleb, SI; Kaipa, K; Pazos, P (January 2021, 2021 Association for Science Teacher Education (ASTE) Annual International Virtual Conference)

   null (Ed.)

   Teacher education is facing challenges given the recent incorporation of engineering practices and core ideas into the Next Generation Science Standards and state standards of learning. To help teachers meet these standards in their future classrooms, education courses for preservice teachers [PSTs] must provide opportunities to increase science and engineering knowledge, and the associated pedagogies. To address this need, Ed+gineering, an NSF-funded multidisciplinary service-learning project, was implemented to study ways in which PSTs are prepared to meet this challenge. This study provides the models and supporting data for four unique methods of infusion of engineering skills and practices into an elementary science methods course. The four models differ in mode of course delivery, integration of a group project (with or without partnering undergraduate engineering students), and final product (e.g., no product, video, interactive presentation, live lesson delivery). In three of the models, teams of 4-6 undergraduates collaborated to design and deliver (when applicable) lessons for elementary students. This multiple semester, mixed-methods research study, explored the ways in which four unique instructional models, with varied levels of engineering instruction enhancement, influenced PSTs’ science knowledge and pedagogical understanding. Both quantitative (e.g., science content knowledge assessment) and qualitative (e.g., student written reflections) data were used to assess science knowledge gains and pedagogical understanding. Findings suggest that the PSTs learned science content and were often able to explain particular science/ engineering concepts following the interventions. PSTs in more enhanced levels of intervention also shared ways in which their lessons reflected their students’ cultures through culturally responsive pedagogical strategies and how important engineering integration is to the elementary classroom, particularly through hands-on, inquiry-based instruction. 

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4. Board 308: Improving Students’ Sociotechnical Literacy in Engineering

   https://doi.org/10.18260/1-2--46886  

   Danahy, Ethan; Andrews, Chelsea; Cantilina, Kaylla; Cross, Jennifer (June 2024, ASEE Conferences)

   The Improving Students’ Sociotechnical Literacy in Engineering project aims to integrate social justice topics with technical knowledge in a first-year engineering course. The approach involves redesigning an existing intro to computing course with justice-based activities, supported by an Equity Learning Assistant (ELA) program. This program trains upperclass students to facilitate in-class discussions on equity and social justice. The project targets improvements in students' critical sociotechnical literacy and engineering identity. Activities include analyzing ethically complex data sets and developing equity-focused projects, while encouraging students to integrate social, economic, and political dimensions into their engineering work. This initiative spans four years (one pilot year plus three NSF-funded iterations) and involves a multidisciplinary research team of engineers and education researchers. 

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5. A Case Study on How Instructors’ Pedagogical Knowledge Influences Their Classroom Practices for First-Year Engineering Courses

   https://doi.org/10.18260/1-2--46418  

   Wahed, Shabnam; Pitterson, Nicole (June 2024, ASEE Conferences)

   This complete research paper details an investigation into the influence of instructors' pedagogical knowledge on their classroom practices in the context of teaching first-year engineering courses. Background and Motivation: First-year engineering courses serve as the foundational setting in which students are introduced to the field of engineering as well as the pedagogies specific to engineering teaching and learning. These courses are pivotal in equipping students with essential knowledge and skills, setting the stage for their success in more advanced engineering topics. Understanding how instructors' pedagogical knowledge affects their teaching practices is crucial. Pedagogical knowledge encompasses a wide range of techniques to effectively manage a classroom and engage students. This includes the use of instructional strategies that cater to diverse student needs, the design of impactful and engaging lesson plans, etc. There is, however, limited research on how instructors’ pedagogical knowledge influences their classroom practices in first-year engineering courses. Hence, it seems opportune and essential to conduct additional research on engineering instructors' classroom practices. Research Question: The central question driving this research is: How does instructors' pedagogical knowledge influence their pedagogical practices for first-year engineering courses? Method: For this study, we chose the model of teacher professional knowledge and skill (TPK&S) that includes pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). The model recognizes the fundamental importance of pedagogical knowledge and contextualizes PCK within that framework, encompassing the intricate nature of teaching and learning. A descriptive case study was utilized as a methodology for this work to delve into the phenomenon. The context of the study was a first-year introductory engineering course offered at a large public research institution. This is a pilot study for an NSF-funded project (blinded for review), the study involved two instructors, Chandler and Joey (pseudonyms), chosen through purposive sampling, with varying levels of teaching experience. Data collection involved direct classroom observation using the Teaching Dimensions Observation Protocol (TDOP) and semi-structured interviews conducted after the observations. The interviews were conducted after classroom observations, allowing the researcher to explore specific findings from the observations. Results: Thematic analysis was used to categorize the data based on the constructs of the theoretical framework. The analysis revealed three major themes: (a) Instructors' topic-specific professional knowledge significantly influences their pedagogical practices. Both instructors adapt their teaching methods based on their understanding of course material and students' difficulties. (b) The interaction between instructors' personal pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and the classroom context shapes their classroom practices. (c) Instructors' beliefs and prior knowledge act as amplifiers or filters based on the situation. They filter out their teaching practices that do not align with their beliefs and prior knowledge. Conclusion: The findings presented in this paper provide valuable insights into the complex interplay between instructors' pedagogical knowledge and their classroom practices. This work holds significant implications for current and future first-year instructors in that this paper will showcase how instructors use their understanding of the content and their students to teach, which is a critical aspect of helping students successfully integrate into engineering. 

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