Bugrahan Yalvac

Turkish Pre‐Service Science Teachers’ Views on Science–Technology–Society Issues

The international science education community recognises the role of pre‐service science teachers’ views about the interdependence of Science, Technology, and Society (STS) in achieving scientific literacy for all. To this end, pre‐service science teachers’ STS views signal the strengths and the weaknesses of science education reform movements. Turkey, a country that follows the international reform movement, aims at improving citizen’s understanding of the STS interdependence to enable them to fully participate in an industrialised, democratic society. This study explores the Turkish pre‐service science teachers’ views (n = 176) on STS issues and discusses the ongoing reform efforts’ strengths and weaknesses within the context of the study findings. Data were collected through an adopted “Views on Science–Technology–Society” instrument. Analysis revealed that many participants held realistic views on science, technology, and society interdependence, while their views on technology and the nature of science were differed. Some viewed technology as an application of science, and some viewed science as explanatory and an interpretation of nature. Most agreed that the scientific knowledge is tentative but they did not present a thorough understanding of the differences between hypotheses, laws, and theories.

Characterizing engineering faculty's teaching approaches

In this paper, we identify several approaches engineering faculty use to teach engineering topics. We report results from an exploratory study, consisting of 16 faculty interviews from five diverse institutions of higher education. We focus specifically on engineering faculty because the engineering faculty teaching culture is not well explored, even though there are many ongoing projects to reform engineering education. The results from this study contribute to efforts currently underway to improve teaching and learning in engineering education, as well as in higher education. Results from this study highlight the disciplinary nature of teaching in the engineering domain. Furthermore, our results can serve as a foundation to compare teaching approaches in other disciplines, or to potential changes in engineering teaching practices.

Science modelling in pre-calculus: how to make mathematics problems contextually meaningful

‘Use of mathematical representations to model and interpret physical phenomena and solve problems is one of the major teaching objectives in high school math curriculum’ (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), Principles and Standards for School Mathematics, NCTM, Reston, VA, 2000). Commonly used pre-calculus textbooks provide a wide range of application problems. However, these problems focus students’ attention on evaluating or solving pre-arranged formulas for given values. The role of scientific content is reduced to provide a background for these problems instead of being sources of data gathering for inducing mathematical tools. Students are neither required to construct mathematical models based on the contexts nor are they asked to validate or discuss the limitations of applied formulas. Using these contexts, the instructor may think that he/she is teaching problem solving, where in reality he/she is teaching algorithms of the mathematical operations (G. Kulm (ed.), New directions for mathematics assessment, in Assessing Higher Order Thinking in Mathematics, Erlbaum, Hillsdale, NJ, 1994, pp. 221–240). Without a thorough representation of the physical phenomena and the mathematical modelling processes undertaken, problem solving unintentionally appears as simple algorithmic operations. In this article, we deconstruct the representations of mathematics problems from selected pre-calculus textbooks and explicate their limitations. We argue that the structure and content of those problems limits students’ coherent understanding of mathematical modelling, and this could result in weak student problem-solving skills. Simultaneously, we explore the ways to enhance representations of those mathematical problems, which we have characterized as lacking a meaningful physical context and limiting coherent student understanding. In light of our discussion, we recommend an alternative to strengthen the process of teaching mathematical modelling – utilization of computer-based science simulations. Although there are several exceptional computer-based science simulations designed for mathematics classes (see, e.g. Kinetic Book (http://www.kineticbooks.com/) or Gizmos (http://www.explorelearning.com/)), we concentrate mainly on the PhET Interactive Simulations developed at the University of Colorado at Boulder (http://phet.colorado.edu/) in generating our argument that computer simulations more accurately represent the contextual characteristics of scientific phenomena than their textual descriptions.

Analyzing Adaptive Expertise and Contextual Exercise in Computer-Aided Design

The fast changing pace of modern CAD tools has demanded the users to be more adaptive to apply their CAD skills. This paper presents the initial work to transform adaptive expertise in the CAD education. An adaptive expertise survey (AES) and a contextual exercise were implemented in a freshman CAD class. The students’ responses to the survey and interviews were analyzed. The CAD models were evaluated based on the attributes. The statistically significant relationships among the variables are reported. The analyses examined the role of adaptive expertise in CAD modeling and the role of learner-centered contextual exercises on CAD modeling procedures. The findings suggest some differences between the students’ demographics and their adaptive expertise characteristics and positive effect of the contextual exercise on students’ CAD modeling procedures.

A Methodology for Examining the Role of Adaptive Expertise on CAD Modeling

Computer-aided design (CAD) tools play a significant role in the modern product commercialization environment. As CAD and general CAx technology advances, it becomes more important to understand how engineers adapt their expertise to new environments and problems. This work examines a methodology consisting of a set of surveys, interviews, and exercises with a small group of practicing engineers to assess adaptive expertise (AE) and relate this AE to CAD modeling performance and procedures. Results detail AE survey results, a modeling and alteration exercise, and an exercise where engineers are asked to model a component using a CAD platform they are unfamiliar with. Interview and time use (from screen capture videos) results from this exercise are presented along with other data. Correlations among AE survey and interview variables and model analysis variables are presented. The epistemology dimension of the AE survey was found to be negatively correlated with both original modeling and alteration time. Overall modeling time in the different platform was positively correlated with the percentage of time a participant spent engaging in trial and error; modeling time in the different platform was negatively correlated with percentage of time spent doing actual modeling and the time spent thinking.Copyright

Integration of contextual exercises in computer-aided design education

ABSTRACTThe authors have implemented a series of contextual CAD modeling exercises in a freshman CAD class to transform adaptive expertise in the CAD education. The students were interviewed before and after the exercises to capture their manifestation of adaptive expertise. At the end of semester, a CAD modeling test was given to the students. The CAD modeling procedures were evaluated based on the model attributes and students’ screen-recordings. The data analyses examine the role of learner-centered contextual exercise in CAD modeling process, and the correlations between the adaptive expertise in CAD modeling procedure. The findings show that the contextual exercises have positive effects on improving students’ adaptive expertise and CAD skills.

Examining the Role of Contextual Exercises and Adaptive Expertise on CAD Model Creation Procedures

As computer-aided design (CAD) tools become more integral in the product commercialization process, ensuring that students have efficient and innovative expertise necessary to adapt becomes more important. This work examines the role of adaptive expertise on CAD modeling behavior and the effect of contextual modeling exercises on the manifestation of behaviors associated with adaptive expertise in a population of student participants. A methodology comprising multiple data elicitation tools is used to examine these relationships; these tools include: survey data, model screen capture data analysis, and interviews. Results show that participants engaged in contextual exercises spent more of their modeling time engaged in actual modeling activities as opposed to planning when compared to a control group. Limited statistical support is provided for the role of contextual exercises leading to the manifestation of behaviors associated with adaptive expertise. The amount of time spent engaged in actual modeling is positively correlated with the adaptive expertise behaviors identified in the interviews.

Integrating student-made screencasts into computer-aided design education

ABSTRACTThis paper presents the design strategies of an engineering education research project funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and discusses its findings. Study participants were the students who enrolled in “Mechanical Engineering Drawing” course and learned about computer-aided design (CAD). We grouped students into the control group and experimental group. Students in the control group received a traditional and teacher-centered instruction. The screencast tutorials were provided to them by their instructors. Students in the experimental group experienced a student-centered instruction. Instead of being provided instructor-prepared screencast tutorials, in the experimental group, students developed their own. They shared their tutorials with one another through an Internet portal; they reviewed and commented on each other’s tutorials. These activities were student-centered. We captured students’ attitudes towards engineering and their life-long learning skills before and after the semes...

Assigning Students Teacher’s Role: A Student-Centered Approach in Computer-Aided Design Education

This paper presents the preliminary work of implementing the learning by teaching approach, a student-centered pedagogy, in the Computer-Aided Design (CAD) education. Following an experimental study design, students were grouped into control section and experimental section. In the control section, students received the traditional instructor-centered instruction. In the experimental section, students were assigned into small groups and taught the course content to their peers during the class meeting. The students’ learning outcomes were evaluated, such as life-long learning skill, engineering attitude, and CAD modeling skills using NX. A CAD modeling test was used at the end of semester to assess the students’ CAD modeling skills. The engineering attitude survey and the life-long learning scale were conducted at the beginning and the end of semester. The statistical analyses were performed to examine the impact of activities. The results revealed that the students’ engineering attitude was significantly improved. In addition, experimental group students completed an exit survey that collected their feedback on the teaching activities.Copyright

Examining Adaptive Expertise: A Novel Comparison of Student and Practicing Engineer CAD Modeling Performance

Computer-aided design (CAD) tools are critical in the current fast-paced digital product commercialization environment. As firms move towards a model based enterprise, it becomes more important for engineers to develop the skills necessary to efficiently and effectively model components in CAD. The status of CAD education and training has often been decried as focusing too much on declarative knowledge, namely how to do specific procedures in a specific software program. This is opposed to the strategic knowledge or expertise that is adaptable to other CAD programs. To better inform CAD education and modeling procedures, an understanding of how experts model and model in novel situations is presented. Specifically, and novel to this work, the adaptive nature of these practicing professional’s CAD expertise is examined and compared to that of relatively novice students. The methods comprise a combination of screen capture data, model attributes, and the results of interviews to assess adaptive expertise.Practicing engineers are found to spend a smaller percentage of their modeling time engaged in actual modeling procedures (doing time). Significant differences related to model attributes include: practicing engineers being less likely to use pattern features, more likely to have incorrect feature terminations, and more likely to use more complex features (as measured by feature density). Results show practicing engineers as less likely to highlight strategies related to adaptive expertise prior to the modeling activity. Post interview results show practicing engineers with more manifestations of adaptive expertise. These results are in agreement with previous literature examining both general and CAD modeling expertise.Copyright