Adam R. Carberry

Evaluating the effectiveness of flipped classrooms for teaching CS1

An alternative to the traditional classroom structure that has seen increased use in higher education is the flipped classroom. Flipping the classroom switches when assignments (e.g. homework) and knowledge transfer (e.g. lecture) occur. Flipped classrooms are getting popular in secondary and post-secondary teaching institutions as evidenced by the marked increase in the study, use, and application of the flipped pedagogy as it applies to learning and retention. The majority of the courses that have undergone this change use applied learning strategies and include a significant “learning-by-doing” component. The research in this area is skewed towards such courses and in general there are many considerations that educators ought to account for if they were to move to this form of teaching. Introductory courses in computer programming can appear to have all the elements needed to move to a flipped environment; however, initial observations from our research identify possible pitfalls with the assumption. In this work in progress the authors discuss early results and observations of implementing a flipped classroom to teach an introductory programming course (CS1) to engineering, engineering technology, and software engineering undergraduates.

LEGO-based Robotics in Higher Education: 15 Years of Student Creativity

Our goal in this article is to reflect on the role LEGO robotics has played in college engineering education over the last 15 years, starting with the introduction of the RCX in 1998 and ending with the introduction of the EV3 in 2013. By combining a modular computer programming language with a modular building platform, LEGO Education has allowed students (of all ages) to become active leaders in their own education as they build everything from animals for a robotic zoo to robots that play childrens games. Most importantly, it allows all students to develop different solutions to the same problem to provide a learning community. We look first at how the recent developments in the learning sciences can help in promoting student learning in robotics. We then share four case studies of successful college-level implementations that build on these developments.

Standards-based grading: Preliminary studies to quantify changes in affective and cognitive student behaviors

Assessing student learning is a key component to education. Most institutions assess learning using a score-based grading system. Such systems use multiple individual assignment scores to produce a cumulative final course grade, which may or may not represent what a student has learned. Standards-based grading offers an alternative that addresses the need to directly assess how well students are developing toward meeting the course objectives. The course objectives are the focal point of the grading system, allowing the instructor to assess students on clearly defined objectives throughout the course. The system assesses how well students become proficient in the course objectives over the duration of the course. This study extends the use of standards-based grading at the K-12 level into the realm of undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. Five STEM courses pilot tested the integration of a standards-based grading system to investigate how it impacts affective and cognitive student behaviors. The results suggest that a standards-based grading system increased student domain-specific self-efficacy, was perceived as valuable, and helped students develop more sophisticated beliefs about STEM knowledge.

A select and annotated bibliography of philosophy in engineering education

The discussion of a philosophy of engineering and/or engineering education has encouraged the community to try and bring some coherence to the field. This select and annotated bibliography is one resource intended to enhance and continue the conversation. In conjunction with a preparatory review, this bibliography introduces the 2011 FIE special workshop on the subject of exploring the philosophies of engineering and engineering education. This work extends what has been done during the 2007, 2008, and 2009 FIE conferences. Focus is brought to bare on research and theoretical readings that discuss a philosophy of engineering education; the engineering identity crisis; differentiating engineering, science, and technology; engineering science verse engineering design, engineering epistemology, philosophy and practice of the engineering curriculum; philosophy in the engineering curriculum; engineering ethics; and engineering culture. Each of the focus areas is introduced with a list of annotated references that present current ideas, beliefs and findings related to these areas.

The Impact of Culture on Engineering and Engineering Education

The environment influences the activities undertaken by engineering educators, students, and practitioners within a given institution or company. Established environments evoke a culture and a set of norms that provide situated experiences. These culturally influenced experiences shape our understanding, identity, interest, and solutions to engineering problems. The environments and associated cultures that make up our society – home, community, school, and workplace – contribute to the perceptions we hold as members of that society. Western society has adopted a culturally influenced notion that engineering drives innovation and technology and fosters entrepreneurship through ABET-accredited programs that educate students in applied sciences, computing, engineering, and engineering technology. Consequently, this has led to the natural identity of engineering being a masculine field for those interested in technology, mathematics, and the hard sciences. Such an image of engineering neglects the idea of engineering supporting society and improving the lives of people all over the world. The following chapter selects some important cultural considerations to be discussed in detail to highlight the impact societal culture, engineering culture, and engineering education culture have on how engineering is perceived by society, taught by engineering educators, and practiced by engineers. This survey of cultural considerations on engineering and engineering education spotlights the importance of culture and the implications it has on learning, teaching, engineering practice, identity, and enculturation as an engineer. The chapter uses a variety of research studies utilizing numerous research methods to enlighten and inform various engineering stakeholders to prioritize cultural considerations when preparing engineering students for real-world activities and engineers for global problems.

“Unmuddying” course content using muddiest point reflections

Class instruction is a living and ever evolving process aimed at providing students with a quality education. Instructors are responsible for analyzing their courses to ensure that delivery of information is effective. Changes made are usually based on student assessments; however, our reactions to assessments are flawed without student insight. One method to obtain student feedback is through muddiest point reflections. This activity asks students to reflect on what was just taught allowing students the opportunity to share what was “muddy”. This mixed-methods study provides vignettes from faculty members on their use of muddiest point reflections and an assessment of what value students associate with such an intervention. Faculty members who have used this approach say it drives change within their classes. The analysis of student value beliefs revealed muddiest point reflections as an intervention that positively impacts interest, attainment, and utility value without negative cost. The appeal of muddiest points was also evident with 77% of students hoping to see muddiest point reflections in another class and 93% agreeing to recommend their course experience to a friend. These findings suggest that students agree more than disagree that muddiest point reflections are a valuable addition to their educational experience.

Work in progress — Developing a graduate consortium in engineering education

Graduate students engaged in engineering education research have always informally networked in small clusters at engineering education themed conferences. As the graduate student population has grown, so too has a widespread desire to develop a larger, more formalized student network. An effort supported by engineering education faculty and interested graduate students is currently underway to create a formal consortium to network and support students. This paper provides a brief overview of the tentatively planned programs and events that demonstrate the progress to date of the Graduate Engineering Education Consortium for Students (GEECS). Presenting our early development is intended to provide a basis for our decisions to date. Exhibition of the consortium through this media also intends to raise awareness and attract other students who may not be aware of the planned consortium and the benefits and resources that it may provide to enhance their experience.

Work in progress — Assessing engineering service students' characteristics

Engineering service opportunities are becoming more the norm than exceptions as todays engineering curricula evolve. Research is needed to explain why so many engineering students desire service opportunities as part of their engineering education. The goal of the following work in progress is to characterize the students who are currently participating in some form of engineering learning-through-service in order to identify underlying reasons for being drawn to service. Using an array of surveying instruments, a multi-institutional assessment of student perceptions of service as a learning source, engineering epistemological beliefs, personality traits, and self-concepts — self-efficacy, motivation, outcome expectancy, and anxiety — toward engineering design is currently underway. To date what has been learned is that most service students 1) perceive service as heavily impacting their learning of professional and technical skills, 2) have slightly sophisticated engineering epistemological beliefs, 3) are typically outgoing, agreeable, and open-minded, 4) have high self-efficacy, motivation, and expectancy for success toward engineering design, and 5) have relatively low anxiety toward engineering design.

The use of engineering design scenarios to assess student knowledge of global, societal, economic, and environmental contexts

Product archaeology as an educational approach asks engineering students to consider and explore the broader societal and global impacts of a products manufacturing, distribution, use, and disposal on people, economics, and the environment. This study examined the impact of product archaeology in a project-based engineering design course on student attitudes and perceptions about engineering and abilities to extend and refine knowledge about broader contexts. Two design scenarios were created: one related to dental hygiene and one related to vaccination delivery. Design scenarios were used to (1) assess knowledge of broader contexts, and (2) test variability of student responses across different contextual situations. Results from pre- to post-surveying revealed improved student perceptions of knowledge of broader contexts. Significant differences were observed between the two design scenarios. The findings support the assumption that different design scenarios elicit consideration of different contexts and design scenarios can be constructed to target specific contextual considerations.

A practice-then-apply scaffolding approach to engineering design education

Engineering students in a project-based curriculum are expected to learn and apply the engineering design process to their course embedded projects. Practice of embedded skills typically occurs through embarking on a new project context provided by an instructor. It is a rare occurrence for students to participate in experiences that break-up the process into smaller chunks providing low-pressure instances to practice. The following work-in-progress describes a practice-then-apply scaffolding approach to teaching engineering design. The engineering design process was broken down into three phases: (1) discovery and ideation, (2) concept development and selection, and (3) realization and experimentation. Each phase was presented to students via a mini-project that inserted students into the design process at various stages of the design. The mini-projects afforded students with opportunities to practice and expand their understanding without always having to start at the beginning. A final project embedded throughout the course provided students with the opportunity to apply what they had learned in the mini-projects. This scaffolded approach methodically slowed the process providing a unique design learning experience with explicit design activities.