Improving Students' Problem-solving in Engineering Dynamics Through Interactive Web-based Simulation and Animation Modules

本计划有四个主要目的：1）透过发展及实施36个互动式网上电脑模拟及动画（CSA）模块，在不同的教育环境下，提高学生解决问题的能力; 2）培养学生对学习动力的兴趣，并改善他们对工程作为职业的态度; 3）评估CSA模块对学生学习成效的影响，包括不同的学习风格偏好、性别及种族背景;以及4）积极向从K-12到本科教育的广大STEM教育社区传播CSA模块以及从该项目中吸取的经验和教训。CSA模块有效地将可视化与动力学问题的数学建模相结合，帮助学生将动力学/物理学与数学联系起来，从而为学生提供学习动力学的变革性体验。这些单元将在不同的教育环境中进行评估，包括研究和教学机构、四年制和两年制机构、少数民族/种族学生人数众多的机构以及小班和大班。这些模块将以各种方式用作基于问题的主动学习工具：嵌入常规课堂讲座和/或课后复习课，用作学生的家庭作业，或与相应的真实实验室实验沿着使用，为学生提供增强和多样化的学习体验。纵向混合方法评估，包括控制和实验组，前和后测试，问卷调查，以及结构化的个人和焦点小组访谈将进行评估学生的学习成果。评估结果将显示学习风格偏好，性别和民族/种族背景如何影响CSA学习，从而提高对如何更好地设计计算机模拟程序以满足不同学生需求的理解。伙伴机构将把这些模块纳入动态课程。 CSA模块和相关课程计划将广泛传播给同行机构教授动力学的教师，广泛的互联网传播，会议演讲和期刊出版物，专业会议，专业协会和当地学生分会的特别会议和研讨会，并通过国家工程和技术教育中心和动力学教科书出版商进行传播。选定的模块也将分发给职前和在职K-12教师和学生。

This project has 4 primary goals:1) to improve students' problem solving by developing and implementing 36 interactive web-based computer simulation and animation (CSA) modules in diverse education settings; 2) cultivate student interest in learning dynamics and improve their attitudes toward engineering as a career; 3) assess the effectiveness of the CSA modules on student learning outcomes that are associated with diverse learning style preference, gender, and ethnic/racial background; and 4) actively disseminate the CSA modules and the experiences and lessons learned from this project to the broad STEM education community from K-12 to undergraduate education. The CSA modules effectively integrate visualization with mathematical modeling of dynamics problems to help students connect dynamics/physics with mathematics, thus providing students a transformative experience of learning dynamics. The modules will be assessed in diverse education settings, including research and teaching institutions, 4-year and 2-year institutions, institutions with a significant number of ethnic/racial minority students, and small and large class sizes. The modules will be used as a problem-based active learning tool in a variety of ways: embedded in regular classroom lectures and/or after-class recitation sessions, used as students' homework assignments, or used along with corresponding real-world laboratory experiments to offer students an enhanced and diversified learning experience. Longitudinal mixed-method assessments that include control and experimental groups, pre- and post-tests, questionnaire surveys, and structured individual and focus-group interviews will be performed to assess students' learning outcomes. The assessment results will show how learning style preference, gender, and ethnic/racial background affect learning with CSA, thus improving understanding of how to better design computer simulation programs to meet the needs of diverse students. Partnering institutions will integrate the modules into dynamics courses. The CSA modules and associated lesson plans will be broadly disseminated to the instructors who teach dynamics at peer institutions, broad Internet dissemination, conference presentations and journal publications, special sessions and workshops at professional meetings, professional societies and local student chapters, and dissemination via the National Center for Engineering and Technology Education and via Dynamics textbook publishers. Selected modules will also be disseminated to both pre-service and in-service K-12 teachers and students.