Addressing Misconceptions about Heat Transfer in Undergraduate Chemical Engineering Instruction

Understanding heat, energy and temperature can be difficult. Misconceptions about heat transfer have been found to persist, even after instruction. New instructional methods are needed to address them. This pilot study examined whether researcher-developed, inquiry-based activities could increase conceptual understanding of heat transfer. Twenty-two undergraduate chemical engineering students were assessed before and after instruction with inquiry-based activities. Participants had significantly higher scores on the post-test. An examination of assessment questions revealed substantial improvement on questions closely related to activities. However, participants had difficulty applying concepts in new and related contexts. Educational implications and suggestions for future research will be discussed

Work in Progress - Role of Faculty in Promoting Lifelong Learning

Students’ development of self-directed and lifelong learning capacities is vital for their success in today’s engineering environment. Instructors play a critical role in influencing outcomes related to self-directed learning (SDL) through their design of courses that support students’ transitions from controlled to autonomous learning behaviors. Yet there is a critical lack of research examining how instructor choices promote self-directed (and eventually lifelong) learning development in undergraduate engineering students. In this work in progress, we introduce a project that explores how instructor choices affect a range of student outcomes related to their development as self-directed and lifelong learners. Drawing on existing research that suggests strong correlations between student autonomy support and outcomes related to SDL, we plan to examine the ways in which engineering instructors assist students in becoming self-directed learners, the role of instructors’ autonomy support on students’ behavioral, motivational, affective responses, and the effect of autonomy on students’ perceptions of learning

Initial Development of a Concept Inventory to Assess Size, Scale, and Structure in Introductory Astronomy

Research has shown that undergraduates have problems understanding astronomical concepts, especially size, scale, and structure. One way to evaluate understanding is to use concept inventories. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to begin the development of the Size, Scale, and Structure Concept Inventory (S3CI) to assess understanding of these concepts in introductory undergraduate astronomy courses for majors and non-majors. A secondary purpose was to determine the impact of a newly developed WorldWide Telescope (WWT) enhanced lab on parallax, part of a suite of WWT enriched labs for introductory astronomy courses currently under development. We present in this paper preliminary results from the first WWT-enhanced lab on parallax. In Fall 2013, a beta version of the S3CI was piloted in an introductory astronomy course at a small private university. An item analysis was done and estimates of internal consistency reliability were determined using the Kuder-Richardson Formula #20 (KR20). The impact of the newly developed lab was also evaluated using a sub-test of six questions from the S3CI

The Size, Scale, and Structure Concept Inventory (S3CI) for Astronomy

We present a concept inventory to evaluate student understanding of size, scale, and structure concepts in the astronomical context. Students harbor misconceptions regarding these concepts, and these misconceptions often persist even after instruction. Evaluation of these concepts prior to as well as after instruction can ensure misconceptions are addressed. Currently, no concept inventories focus exclusively on these geometrical ideas, so we have developed the Size, Scale and Structure Concept Inventory (S3CI). In fall 2013, we piloted a 24-item version of the S3CI in an introductory astronomy course at a small private university. We performed an item analysis and estimated the internal consistency reliability for the instrument. Based on these analyses, problematic questions were revised for a second version. We discuss the results from the pilot phase and preview our updated test in this work. A valid and reliable concept inventory has the potential to accurately evaluate undergraduates’ understanding of size, scale, and structure concepts in the astronomical context, as well as assess conceptual change after targeted instruction. Lessons learned in the evaluation of the initial version of the S3CI can guide future development of this and other astronomical concept inventories. Instructors interested in participating in the ongoing development of the S3CI should contact the authors

Role of Faculty in Promoting Lifelong Learning: Characterizing Classroom Environments

Calls for educational reform emphasize the need for student-centered learning approaches that foster lifelong learning. To be a lifelong learner includes characteristics consistent with those of self-directed learners, such as being curious, motivated, reflective, analytical, persistent, flexible, and independent. Educational research has shown that the building of these aptitudes involves a complex interplay among nearly every aspect of human development. Instructor support of students’ self-directed learning (SDL) development relies on understanding and balancing these factors in the classroom. Engineering educators play a critical role in influencing outcomes related to SDL through their design of courses that support students’ transitions from controlled to autonomous learning behaviors. This study will examine a variety of engineering courses and pedagogical approaches. Each will be characterized using instructor course information, videotaped classroom observations of instructor-student and student-student interactions, student and instructor responses to surveys, and focus groups. Finally, the students’ capacity for SDL will be measured using the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire. This approach should provide for rich, contextualized descriptions of what instructors and learners do, how instructors and students relate to each other, and how students view their classrooms. This work-in-progress paper will describe our initial work in this multiyear study

Combining RealWorld Experiences with WorldWide Telescope Visualization to Build a Better Parallax Lab

We present a lab activity designed to help students understand the concept of parallax in both astronomical and non-astronomical contexts. In an outdoor setting, students learn the methodology of distance determination via parallax. They identify a distant landmark to establish a reference of direction, and then measure the change in apparent direction for more nearby objects as they change position in a 2 meter radius “orbit” around the “Sun.” This hands-on activity involves large, visually-discernable angles so that students can internalize the concept of parallax from everyday experience. However, students often have difficulty transferring this experience to the astronomical realm, so we pair this hands-on activity with a more explicitly astronomically-based activity using the WorldWide Telescope visualization environment. Students apply the same methodology in this environment and learn how the apparent motion of stars is related to their distance from Earth. The combination of hands-on activity and computer-aided visualization is designed to produce a deeper understanding of parallax in the astronomical environment, and an improved understanding of the inherently three-dimensional distribution of objects in our universe. More formal assessment is underway