(423f) Assessing Student Learning through Student Developed Course Materials

Introduction:
Engineering
education studies seek to identify best practices for increasing student
learning, engaging students, and developing students into practicing engineers.
Three techniques shown to promote learning are (1) active learning, (2) collaborative
learning, and (3) course ?flipping?. Active learning engages students in the
learning process while collaborative learning promotes knowledge gain as a
group works toward a goal [1]. ?Flipping? the class involves delivering course
material, typically in videos or interactive exercises, prior the scheduled
lecture, requiring students to watch or perform the activity, and using the
lecture time to introduce more complex examples of the topic covered in the
video or interactive activity [2,3]. One hindrance to ?flipping? the class is
the increased time burden on teaching personnel to prepare extra materials. We integrated
these three techniques to engage students in their own learning and in teaching
future engineers. To do this, students will demonstrate active learning and
collaborative learning in developing a video on an assigned course topic.
Videos developed through this process will be used to create a repository of
instructional material which can reduce the time burden on instructors to
?flip? the class. Herein, we describe our project to engage students in active
and collaborative learning to assist in ?flipping? future course offerings.

Materials
and Methods: As a course project, eleven
sophomore level students enrolled in a material and energy balances course were
assigned a course topic (general open system energy balance or heat of reaction)
and tasked with creating an instructional video of not more than 10 minutes
which included (1) an overview of the method including any limitations, (2) a
simple example to demonstrate the concept, and (3) a summary of how the
technique is utilized in real-world chemical engineering. The video rubric was
mapped to ABET criteria. Students were allowed creative license on choosing the
best method to deliver the video (Prezi, voice over, acting, etc.). Video
submissions were due prior to administration of the final exam. On the final
exam, two questions of increasing difficulty for each assigned video topic
required students to describe the solution procedure. These questions
were used to determine if creating the videos increased student understanding
of the solution method reviewed in the video. An ANOVA will be performed to
determine if students, as a whole, performed better on one question. Then, a
correlation study will be implemented to determine if students performed better
on questions related to the solution method reviewed in their video.

Results
and Discussion: Eleven videos will be
developed as a  course
project (spring 2015): five on general energy balances and six on heat of
reaction. ABET criteria were mapped to the assignment (Table 1). Statistical
results will reveal areas in which students demonstrate better understanding. Students
were randomly assigned topics; however, overall student performance will be
compared to topic performance to see if  improved understanding through video
creation is impacted by earlier student performance.  

Conclusions:
Engaging
students in creating material to ?flip? the class requires the student to
practice active learning. Students enhance their understanding of engineering by
relating techniques learned in class to real-world practices.

References:
[1] M. Prince, "Does Active
Learning Work? A Review of the Research." Journal of Engineering Education, vol. 93, no. 3, pp. 223-231,
2004.
[2] J. L. Bishop and M. A. Verleger, ?The Flipped Classroom: A Survey of the
Research,? in ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, Atlanta, GA, 2013.

[3] M. J. Lage et al. "Inverting the Classroom:
A Gateway to Creating an Inclusive Learning Environment," Journal of Economic Education vol. 31, no.
1, pp. 30-43, 2000

[4]
ABET: Criteria for Accrediting Engineering Programs, 2015-2016 Available: http://www.abet.org