RESEARCH INITIATION GRANT: Impact of Interactive Web-based Activities on Mechanics Self-Efficacy and Achievement

这项工程教育研究启动赠款旨在了解如何在线学习影响学生的自我效能和后来的成就，在工程学位课程。 这项研究将调查不同类型的基于网络的活动如何影响学生的学习和他们的自我效能，或相信他们可以完成给定的任务。 通过纵向研究，该研究将帮助教师了解如何有效地将基于网络的学习整合到力学课程中。该项目的更广泛的意义和重要性将是在快速发展的在线学习领域提供最佳实践。 这项研究将在介绍力学课程，常见的大多数工程项目进行，从而可以广泛地告知实践。 该项目与NSF的战略目标重叠，即通过准备一支具有新能力和专业知识的工程队伍来改变前沿。 此外，NSF为社会创新的目标是通过为教育政策和实践提供信息来创造对社会有用的结果和研究。

This engineering education research initiation grant seeks to understand how on-line learning affects students' self-efficacy and later achievement in an engineering degree program. The research will investigate how different types of web-based activities impact student learning and their self-efficacy, or belief that they can accomplish a given task. By looking longitudinally the study will help instructors understand how to effectively integrate web-based learning into mechanics courses.The broader significance and importance of this project will be to inform best practices in the rapidly growing area of on-line learning. The study will be conducted in an introductory mechanics course, common to most engineering programs, and thus can widely inform practice. This project overlaps with NSF's strategic goals of transforming the frontiers through preparation of an engineering workforce with new capabilities and expertise. Additionally NSF's goal of innovating for society is enabled by creating results and research that are useful for society by informing educational policy and practices.