Empirically-based Instructional Tools for Fostering Engineering Problem Solving and Cognitive Flexibility in Pre-college Students

本工程教育项目的目的是考察大学前工程教学的认知和情感效果。这个项目将为大学预科学生如何学习解决工程问题提供基本的见解，同时在工程中获得高度的认知灵活性，这反过来又支持创造力和设计。我们将对教学表征、实践设计和教学代理如何培养问题解决和认知灵活性有一个基本的理解。通过开发和严格评估工具，有效地培养中学生的工程问题解决能力和认知灵活性，该项目将对工程教育做出重大贡献。成功的大学前工程学习将提高学生的自我效能感和对工程学院课程的兴趣，导致潜在的更多工程大学生和最终的工程劳动力，这将对我们的社会产生巨大的好处。基于计算机的学习模块将用于呈现教学内容，如工程概念的不同表达，以及用于解决问题的实践。这些以计算机为基础的组件将在现成的计算机化教室中的个人电脑上展示。PIS将结合多种评估形式(即多项选择、开放式、口头、符号、图形)来记录学生解决问题能力的不同方面。学生对学习措施的反应将由接受过培训的教师在咨询咨询委员会的意见后，根据PIS制定的评分标准进行评分。学生与计算机评估互动产生的任何数据都将记录在电子文件中，并根据各自的评分标准进行分析。根据调查结果，督导主任会在每项研究完成后，随机抽取一批学生进行访问。

The objective of this engineering education project is to examine the cognitive and affective effects of pre-college engineering instruction. This project will provide fundamental insights into how pre-college students learn engineering problem solving while attaining high cognitive flexibility in engineering which in turn supports creativity and design. We will obtain a fundamental understanding of how instruction representation, practice design, and pedagogical agents foster problem solving and cognitive flexibility. By developing and rigorously assessing tools for effectively fostering engineering problem solving and cognitive flexibility in middle- and high school students, this project will significantly contribute to engineering education. Successful engineering learning at the pre-college level will increase students' self-efficacy and interest in engineering college programs, leading to the potential larger recruitment of engineering college students and eventual engineering workforce, which will strongly benefit our society.Computer-based learning modules will be used for presenting the instructional content, such as the different representations of engineering concepts, and for problem solving practice. These computer-based components will be presented on PCs in readily available computerized classrooms. The PIs will combine multiple assessment formats (i.e., multiple choice, open-ended, verbal, symbolic, graphic) to document different aspects of students' problem solving performance. Students' responses to the learning measures will be scored by teachers trained in the scoring criteria developed by the PIs and in consultation with the Advisory Board. Any data resulting from students' interactions with computer-based assessments will be logged in electronic files and analyzed in accordance with the respective scoring criteria. Based on the findings, the PIs will randomly select a sub-sample of students to interview after each of the studies is completed.