Formative Feedback: Impacting the Quality of First-Year Engineering Student Work on Modeling Activities

本研究旨在设计并探讨教学方法对学生素质的影响，为工程学习机制的研究做出贡献。解决复杂的数学建模问题，并制定指导方针，为学生提供有效的形成性反馈？建模工作。基于模型和建模理论框架的数学模型引发活动（MEA）为工程专业学生提供了参与解决复杂问题并培养团队合作和沟通技能的机会。最近的工作表明，教师和同行有相当大的困难提供反馈，是有意义的学生，导致学生有困难的解释和有效地利用反馈，以改善他们的数学模型。这限制了学生的学习，可以通过迭代开发这些复杂问题的解决方案来实现。需要教学方法来改善教师和同伴的反馈，帮助学生学习解释和回应反馈。最近开发的工具，用于评估和评价学生的工作在三个方面，数学模型，可重用性共享能力，和观众，将使调查教学方法围绕定性反馈。将制定、执行和研究这些方法，以便充分利用多边环境协定的性质以及评估和评价工具，培养学生？通过提高他们解释和利用反馈的能力来提高他们的知识和技能。最终寻求的是更清楚地了解反馈与其对学生的影响之间的关系？通过他们的工作产品和互动来学习。未来的工程人员必须准备好解决日益复杂和模糊的问题，有效地教授开放式问题解决一直是工程教育的挑战。对围绕反馈的教学方法的发展进行投资，将是朝着培养一个能够更好地教授开放式复杂问题的工程教育工作者社区迈出的一步。这项工作将有助于评估学生在复杂问题解决情况下的学习，并帮助建立一支能够更好地解决下一代复杂问题的工程毕业生队伍。提供适当反馈的原则和指导方针将极大地促进向其他教育环境传播模型和建模方法的下一步工作。

This project will contribute to the research on engineering learning mechanisms by designing and investigating the impact of pedagogical approaches on the quality of students? solutions to complex mathematical modeling problems and developing guidelines for providing effective formative feedback on students? modeling work. Mathematical model-eliciting activities (MEAs), based on the models and modeling theoretical framework, provide engineering students with opportunities to engage in solving complex problems and develop teaming and communication skills. Recent work has revealed that instructors and peers have considerable difficulty providing feedback that is meaningful to students, causing students to have difficulty interpreting and utilizing the feedback effectively to improve their math models. This limits student learning that can be achieved through iterative development of solutions to these complex problems. Pedagogical approaches are needed to improve instructor and peer feedback and help students learn to interpret and respond to feedback. Recent development of tools for assessing and evaluating student work across three dimensions, mathematical model, re-usability & share-ability, and audience, will enable investigations into pedagogical approaches around qualitative feedback. These approaches will be developed, implemented and researched with the intent of taking full advantage of the nature of MEAs and the assessment and evaluation tools to develop students? knowledge and skills by improving their ability to interpret and utilize feedback. What is ultimately sought is a clearer picture of the relationship between feedback and its impact on students? learning as viewed through their work products and interactions. The future engineering workforce must be prepared to address increasingly complex and ambiguous problems, and effectively teaching open-ended problem solving has been a challenge for engineering education. An investment in the development of pedagogical approaches around feedback will be a step towards growing a community of engineering educators who are better able to teach open-ended complex problems. This work will contribute to assessments of student learning in complex problem-solving situations and help build a cadre of engineering graduates better able to solve the next generation of complex problems. Principles and guidelines for providing appropriate feedback will greatly facilitate the next steps in dissemination of models and modeling pedagogies to other educational settings.