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研究大学预科工程教学的认知和情感效应。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，同时在工程方面获得高度的认知灵活性，从而支持创造力和设计。我们将对教学表现、实践设计和教学代理如何促进问题解决和认知灵活性有一个基本的了解。通过开发和严格评估有效培养初高中学生解决工程问题和认知灵活性的工具，该项目将对工程教育做出重大贡献。在大学预科阶段成功的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，从而导致潜在的更多工程学院学生和最终的工程劳动力的招聘，这将极大地造福我们的社会。基于计算机的学习模块将用于呈现教学内容，例如工程概念的不同表示，以及解决问题的实践。这些以计算机为基础的组成部分将在计算机化教室里的个人电脑上呈现。pi将结合多种评估形式（即选择题、开放式、口头、符号、图形）来记录学生解决问题表现的不同方面。学生对学习措施的反应将由接受过评测官制定的评分标准培训的教师进行评分，并征求咨询委员会的意见。学生与计算机评估互动产生的任何数据将被记录在电子文件中，并根据各自的评分标准进行分析。根据调查结果，pi将在每项研究完成后随机选择学生的子样本进行访谈。

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.