Undergraduate Engineering and Education Students Reflect on Their Interdisciplinary Teamwork Experiences Following Transition to Virtual Instruction Caused by COVID-19

This study explores undergraduate engineering and education students’ perspectives on their interdisciplinary teams throughout the rapid transition to online learning and instruction from a face-to-face to a virtual format. In this qualitative study, students’ reflections and focus groups from three interdisciplinary collaborations were analyzed using the lens of Social Cognitive Theory. COVID-19 created a dramatic change in the environment such that the most immediate and direct impact on students’ experiences was on the environmental aspects of Bandura’s triadic reciprocal determinism model, which then triggered behavioral and personal responses to adapt to the new environment. Subsequent evidence of reciprocal effects between environmental, behavioral, and personal factors took place as students continued to adapt. Results suggest that the modifications made to transition the project fully online were meaningful experiences for students’ learning and teaching of engineering through teams. This interdisciplinary partnership provided both pre-service teachers and undergraduate engineering students with the opportunity to learn and practice content and professional skills that will be essential for success in future work environments

Improving the assessment of transferable skills in chemistry through evaluation of current practice

The development and assessment of transferable skills acquired by students, such as communication and teamwork, within undergraduate degrees is being increas-ingly emphasised. Many instructors have designed and implemented assessment tasks with the aim to provide students with opportunities to acquire and demon-strate these skills. We have now applied our previously published tool to evaluate whether assessment tasks allow students to demonstrate achievement of these transferable skills. The tool allows detailed evaluation of the alignment of any as-sessment item against the claimed set of learning outcomes. We present here two examples in which use of the tool provides evidence for the level of achievement of transferable skills and a further example of use of the tool to inform curricu-lum design and pedagogy, with the goal of increasing achievement of communi-cation and teamwork bench marks. Implications for practice in assessment design for learning are presented

Group Work at the College Level: a Case Study

Research problem: This study explores the use of group work across various academic disciplines at the college level in Quebec, with the intent of making recommendations on ways to improve its design and implementation. Research Questions: 1. What practices do college teachers use in implementing group work? 2. What do college teachers perceive as the benefits of group work? 3. What challenges do college teachers face in implementing group work? 4. How do college teachers address the challenges they face in implementing group work? What additional mechanisms could college teachers put in place for an effective implementation of group work? Literature Review: The literature review describes the small-group learning approaches most represented in the literature on postsecondary education, namely: cooperative learning, collaborative learning and problem-based learning. The benefits of group work for both students and instructors are presented, as well as the common problems that can arise from group work and possible solutions. Method: This qualitative study uses the collective case study methodology. Six cases involving a total of nine instructors are presented. All participants teach at the same Quebec college and were recruited by snowball sampling at the research site. The participants were selected on the basis of their teaching discipline, as well as the type of group work they implement. The data were obtained through semi-structured interviews and were analyzed using a thematic analysis approach. Results and Conclusions: The participants implement group work in two distinct ways: in-class, active learning, activities; and graded projects. The following student benefits were identified: students learn effectively; they are engaged; group work sets a positive classroom environment; and simulates real-life situations. Benefits for teachers include: an enhanced monitoring of student’s progress; a reduced grading workload; intrinsic rewards; and a dynamic classroom. Five main challenges were identified: friends tend to work with friends; social loafing; interpersonal difficulties; external pressures; and difficulties assessing individual contribution in group projects. To alleviate difficulties related to in-class activities, the participants can: change the groups frequently; assign specific roles; actively work on setting a positive classroom environment; clearly communicate the learning objectives; and build in an element of competitivity. For group projects, the participants can: discuss the relevance of teams in the workplace; dedicate class time to the group projects; include project milestones; minimize the value of group grades; and use peer-evaluations. The literature further suggests that for in-class activities, the level of difficulty, timing, and variety of the activities are key elements to consider, and that instructors can call on an individual student to present. For group projects, teachers can: favour criterion-based group formation; train students in developing teamwork skills; assign specific roles to students; and ask for progress reports. The implications of this study are that faculty development initiatives on group work should not be discipline-specific, and can focus on: implementing strategies to reduce social loafing in group projects; training instructors to explicitly teach their students about teamwork skills; and designing activities so that they best reproduce real-life situations. Because this research is exploratory in nature, there are too few participants to represent the larger population of Quebec college instructors. Another limitation of this study is the absence of representation of group work in technical programs. Future research could examine group work from the perspective of college students, the barriers to implementing group work in the Quebec collegial system, the implementation of group work online in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as, post-pandemic, how the instructors’ experiences implementing group work online will have influenced their approaches to group work upon their return in the physical classroom

A Mixed Method Analysis of Factors Influencing Success and Failure in Undergraduate Engineering Capstone Design Experiences

The engineering undergraduate curriculum presents substantial opportunities for improvement. Society is calling for a transformation. As the culminating experience for undergraduate engineering students, capstone design team projects represent a window on the curriculum and a particularly fertile ground for understanding these opportunities. However, the factors that influence success and failure in capstone remains an area of inquiry. The work presented here proposes to help us develop a deeper understanding of these factors. The research presented here uses a mixed methods analysis approach for identifying the critical factors impacting capstone design team success, where success is defined from both student and faculty perspectives. The framework for the research includes factors and their interactions in three fundamental areas: faculty mentorship, student backgrounds, and various contextual influences. The research capitalizes on the use of survey tools and course data to conduct a mapping of faculty mentor beliefs and practices against student perception and recognition of those practices. In conjunction with student reflective memos containing self-evaluations of their project and team experiences, interactions with faculty mentors, and overall satisfaction with their educational experience, the data will combine to provide a multifaceted assessment of which factors are influential and are value-added to capstone courses. The mixed methods approach will include statistical analysis of programmatic data, student perception of instruction surveys, social network analysis of peer evaluations, faculty teacher belief self-assessments and case-study triangulation with student-authored reflective memoranda. The ultimate objective of this work is to provide an in-depth understanding of the capstone design experience and insights based upon careful analysis and observations of engineering students working on real-world projects. It is envisioned that the results of the research will provide meaningful guidance to students, instructors and stakeholders for improved preparation of young engineers for the profession

Project-Based Learning in a High School Engineering Program: a Case Study

Generating greater student interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) has been a major topic of discussion among educators, policymakers, and researchers in recent years, as increasing the number of graduates in these fields is widely considered a necessary step for sustaining the progress of today’s society. Fostering this interest must occur before students reach college, and substantial efforts have been made to engage students at K-12 levels in STEM-focused learning. Attempts to involve students in engineering, a vital and growing profession, yet one in which students often have little experience, have frequently emphasized the design and construction of physical products, a practice supported by project-based learning.This thesis examines the environment of an engineering high school course that employed the project-based model. The course is part of a dedicated curricular program which aims to provide students with positive experiences in engineering-related activities while also preparing them for the rigors of college. A case study was conducted to provide insight into the benefits and drawbacks of the learning model. The study’s outcomes are intended to provide guidance to educators participating in the design and/or facilitation of project-based activities, particularly those involved with engineering education.The research was performed using a qualitative approach. Long-term engagement with course participants was deemed critical to gaining a comprehensive understanding of the interactions and events that transpired on a daily basis. Nine educators involved with the program were interviewed, as were nineteen of the course’s thirty-nine students. A wealth of other relevant data – including surveys, field notes, and evaluations of student work – was compiled for analysis as well.The study findings suggest that experiences in problem solving and teamwork were the central benefits of the course. Limitations existed due to a high focus on hands-on work, which infringed upon the significance of math and science content as well as the utilization of disciplined inquiry. In addition, groupprojects failed to hold individuals accountable, leading to assessment challenges. Program-wide, a number of issues hindered the teachers’ abilities to institute changes, most notably a commitment to serve students of all abilities

Methods of preventing social loafing in school groups

Bakalářská práce se zabývá sociálním zahálením a černým pasažérstvím v rámci týmových a skupinových prací na školách. Teoretická část se věnuje vymezení týmové a skupinové práce, fenoménu sociálního zahálení a černého pasažérství a představení relevantních teorií motivace, které jsou podkladem pro část se zaměřením na možné metody prevence a redukce zmíněných fenoménů. Empirická část představuje návrh výzkumu vycházející z teoretických základů a vyzkoušených praktických postupů ke snížení zahálení ve školním prostředí představených v literárně přehledové části práce. Výzkum bude postaven na zjištění preferencí ohledně představených metod pro redukci sociálního zahálení, který by středoškolští studenti chtěli aplikovat při jejich skupinové práci, přičemž bude zvolena kombinace preventivního, intervenčního a hodnotícího opatření pro dosažení maximálního efektu. Celkovým cílem práce je podat ucelené shrnutí dosavadních poznatků v oblasti sociálního zahálení pří školních týmových projektech se zvláštním důrazem na přesah do školní praxe pro vhodnou modifikaci podmínek zadávání práce tak, aby se výskyt sociálního zahálení snížil, čímž by se zároveň měla zvýšit celková spokojenost s prací v týmu a mělo by se předejít dalším negativním důsledkům, které zahálení do práce může vnášet. Klíčová slova: černé...The bachelor's thesis deals with social loafing and free riding within team and group work at schools. The theoretical part is dedicated to the definition of teamwork and group work, the phenomenon of social loafing and free riding and the presentation of relevant theories of motivation, which are the basis for the part focusing on possible methods of prevention and reduction of the mentioned phenomena. The empirical part presents a research proposal based on theoretical foundations and tested practical procedures to reduce loafing in the school environment presented in the literature review part of the work. The research will be based on finding out preferences regarding the presented methods for reducing social loafing, which high school students would want to apply in their group work, taking into account a combination of preventive, intervention and evaluation measures will be chosen to achieve the maximum effect. The overall goal of the work is to provide a comprehensive summary of the findings to date in the field of social loafing in school team projects with a special emphasis on the transfer to school practice for the appropriate modification of the conditions of assigning work so that the incidence of social loafing is reduced, which should also increase overall satisfaction with work in...Katedra psychologieDepartment of PsychologyFilozofická fakultaFaculty of Art

Integrated STEM and STEM Partnerships: Teaching and Learning

The overall focus of this Special Issue is on educational spaces relating to integrated STEM and interdisciplinary partnerships that might occur in integrated STEM spaces. These educational spaces include formal and informal schooling and include studies involving collaborative work teams, pre-service, in-service teachers, STEM faculty experiences, pre-collegiate students, interdisciplinary education, science education, technology education, engineering and computer science education, and mathematics education. The purpose of this Special Issue is to bring together a showcase of current studies in integrated STEM and related partnership work in teaching and learning. The newly released Handbook of Research on STEM Education (Johnson, Mohr-Schroeder, Moore, and English, 2020) explores areas of STEM in an international context and sets the stage for this Special Issue. The articles included show perspectives from around the globe

Students as Investigators, Teachers as Researchers: Documenting a Critical History Pedagogy and its Impact on Diverse Learners in a Tenth-Grade World History Classroom

This study documents a teacher's efforts to scaffold and support his students' investigations of modern world history and their interactions with the critical history pedagogy he implements in a diverse tenth-grade classroom. Using teacher research methods to generate descriptive quantitative and qualitative data, the study explores the role of the teacher, the students, and local contextual factors in the teaching and learning process. In particular, the teacher-researcher details his attempts to mediate the influences of curriculum and assessment measures in a high stakes accountability context, while equipping his students with powerful disciplinary tools aimed at deepening their understanding of the past and developing in them a capacity to shape those meanings. The data suggest that the teacher-researcher faced considerable challenges in implementing an inquiry-based approach to learning about the past. The breadth of the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL's) meant that in-depth learning centered on the analysis of conflicting sources and the interpretation of competing perspectives necessarily contended with coverage demands associated with SOL test preparation. These external constraints became background concerns when the teacher-researcher focused more on the internal knowledge-based constraints that were impeding student learning. In addition to the cultural, linguistic, and academic diversity of the learners in his classroom, the teacher was challenged by his students' lack of experience analyzing historical sources, exploring multiple perspectives, and writing evidence-based arguments. Study findings indicate that two main factors contributed to the growth of historical thinking and writing among study participants. First, the history domain's cognitive practices were progressively introduced and learning supports were designed to meet the range of aptitudes and skill levels present in this diverse public school setting. Although some students experienced more in the way of skill development than conceptual growth, evidence demonstrates that a range of students experienced progression. Second, the teacher-researcher learned to utilize traditional classroom structures in the context of open-ended inquiries and directed these practices toward more meaningful encounters with historical knowledge. Although elements of his instructional pedagogy seemed to align with more conventional practices, a disciplinary thread was woven throughout the fabric of the world history course

Bowdoin Orient v.134, no.1-24 (2004-2005)

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