Laboratory learning: Model-based reasoning in biomedical engineering research and instructional laboratories

拟议研究的总体目标是将研究人员以前在生物医学工程研究（BME）实验室中对认知和学习的研究结果转化为教学实验室的原型设计。研究人员之前的研究是对两个BME实验室进行的深入的“体内”研究，目的是了解：1）用于解决问题的表征和推理实践的性质，以及2）学生学徒如何在这些实验室中学习。研究人员还利用他们的结果来通知问题内容，脚手架的设计和完善，并促进本科生和研究生课堂使用基于问题的学习（PBL）教学法。在他们的新研究中，研究人员建议将他们对实验室中解决问题实践的研究与他们对学生学习的研究以系统的方式结合在一起，以便设计和实施新的BME教学实验室，更好地近似他们在研究实验室中发现的学习环境和基于模型的推理实践。在第一年，他们将评估修改后的PBL教室，并对两个现有实验室进行体内观察，以确定基线。在第二年，他们将与BME教师合作，设计，试点和评估两个教学实验室，捕捉认知，社会和文化方面的实践，导致有效的学习和解决问题。在第三年，他们将评估教学实验室的最终实施情况。在这三年中，他们将继续在研究实验室中进行认知和学习的研究，并在生物机器人领域增加一个新的实验室，以评估他们发现的普遍性。

The overall objective of the proposed research is to translate findings from the investigators' previous research on cognition and learning in biomedical engineering research (BME) laboratories into prototype designs for instructional labs. The investigators' previous research was an intensive "in vivo" study of two BME labs with the aim of understanding: 1) the nature of the representational and reasoning practices that are used in problem solving, and 2) how student apprentices learn in these labs. The investigators also used their results to inform the design and refinement of problem content, scaffolding, and facilitation for undergraduate and graduate classrooms using a problem-based learning (PBL) pedagogy. In their new research, the investigators propose to bring their studies of problem solving practices in labs together in a systematic way with their studies of student learning in order to design and implement new BME instructional labs that better approximate the learning environments and model-based reasoning practices they have found in research labs. In year 1, they will assess the modified PBL classrooms and carry out in vivo observations of two existing labs for a baseline. In year 2, they will work with BME faculty to design, pilot, and assess two instructional labs that capture the cognitive, social, and cultural aspects of practice that lead to effective learning and problem solving. In year 3, they will assess the final implementation of the instructional labs. During these three years they will continue their studies of cognition and learning in research labs, adding a new lab in the area of biorobotics in order to assess the generalizability of their findings.