Haptic-Based Learning Experiences as Cognitive Mediators for Conceptual Understanding and Representational Fluency in Engineering Education

基于触觉的学习经验作为工程教育中概念理解和表达流畅性的认知中介静力学是几个工程学科的主干课程，是材料动力学和力学的直接先决条件，也是工程结构设计的关键参与者。研究人员发现，静力学是学生在后续核心课程(因此影响工程方面的留存)以及实际设计顶峰课程中取得成功的主要障碍。众所周知，学生在进入静力学时会产生一些传统教学中无法纠正的错误概念。这个项目调查了反馈设备的使用，也就是所谓的触觉，在这种设备中，学生可以操纵计算机生成的结构，并感受到产生的力。假设触觉设备的使用将为学生提供具体的反馈，帮助他们更好地理解静力学。这个项目的目标是工程教育中的一个基础性话题，众所周知，这个话题会对未来的表现和留存产生重大影响。这项研究的结果与机构及其学生广泛相关，因为基本上所有机械、民用、航空航天和生物医学学科的学生都学习静力学。同样，这项研究的产品为科学和工程中的相关概念(如浮力、电磁和动力学等)的学习干预提供了信息。本研究通过在强调静态错误概念的实验室实验中探索视觉-触觉模拟的具体启示和限制，促进了对触觉中介学习的理解。使用力反馈设备进行视觉触觉模拟用于教育是及时的，但还没有得到充分的研究。这项研究大大扩展了社区对使用触觉设备教授困难概念的负担和限制的理解。按照基于设计的研究方法，本项目开发了关于基于触觉的学习体验如何调节静态中困难概念的概念理解和表征能力的新知识。它研究了如何最好地使用触摸技术来帮助学生根据控制力及其不同的表征形式将系统行为联系起来。本研究的重点在于以下几个具体的研究问题：1.基于触觉的学习体验在多大程度上提高了学生的概念理解和表征流畅性？工作假设：触觉设备的力反馈加强了对力学系统的表示(数学、视觉)，并提高了概念理解。2.在视觉强化学习活动、物理操作强化学习活动和触觉强化学习活动之间，短期、长期和迁移学习收益的比较如何？工作假设：当教学包括触觉设备时，学生会体验到更大的学习收益。3.使用触觉学习体验前后，学生对体验现象的解释和表征有何不同？工作假设：触觉设备和学习体验提供了一个新的平台，学生可以在上面建立理解，并提供了一个表达设备结构、功能和性能的新词汇。新获得的知识将使我们了解学生如何通过触摸学习，以及我们对概念理解和表征能力之间的相互作用的理解。我们的长期目标是确定与基于触觉的学习体验(HABLE)的互动在多大程度上中介了学生对静态学中困难概念的概念理解和表征流畅性。

Haptic-Based Learning Experiences as Cognitive Mediators for Conceptual Understanding and Representational Fluency in Engineering EducationStatics is a backbone course for several engineering disciplines, a direct pre-requisite for dynamics and mechanics of materials, and a pivotal player in engineering structural design. Researchers have identified Statics as a major impediment for students to succeed in follow-on core courses (therefore affecting retention in engineering) as well as on practical design capstone courses. It is known that students enter Statics with misconceptions that are not corrected through traditional instruction. This project investigates the use of feedback devices, known as haptics, in which students can manipulate a computer-generated structure and feel the forces that are generated. It is hypothesized that the use of the haptic device will provide students specific feedback to help them develop a better conceptual understanding of Statics. This project targets a foundational topic in engineering education known to significantly affect both future performance and retention. The results of this research are broadly relevant to institutions and their students, as essentially all students in mechanical, civil, aerospace, and biomedical disciplines take Statics. Similarly, the products of this research inform learning interventions in related concepts in science and engineering (e.g., buoyancy, electricity and magnetism, and dynamics, among others).This research advances understanding of haptic-mediated learning by exploring specific affordances and constraints of visuo-haptic simulations in a laboratory experiment emphasizing statics misconceptions. Visuo-haptic simulation using force-feedback devices for education is timely, yet understudied. This research significantly extends the community's understanding of the affordances and constraints of using haptic devices for teaching difficult concepts. Following a design-based research approach, this project develops new knowledge about how haptic-based learning experiences can mediate conceptual understanding and representational competence of difficult concepts in statics. It investigates how we can best use touch technologies to help students connect system behaviors in terms of governing forces and their different representational forms. This proposal focuses on the following specific research questions (RQs): 1. To what extent do haptic-based learning experiences improve student conceptual understanding and representational fluency? Working hypothesis: the force feedback of haptic devices reinforces representations (mathematical, visual) of mechanics systems and improves conceptual understanding. 2. How do the short-term, long-term, and transfer learning gains between visual-only-enhanced, physical manipulative-enhanced, and haptic-enhanced learning activities compare? Working hypothesis: students experience greater learning gains when instruction includes haptic devices. 3. What are the differences in students' explanations and representations of experienced phenomena before and after using the haptic-based learning experiences? Working hypothesis: haptic devices and learning experiences provide a new platform on which students can build understanding, and provide a new vocabulary for articulating device structure, function, and performance. The newly derived knowledge will inform our understanding about how students "learn by touch" as well as our understanding of the interplay between conceptual understanding and representational competence. Our long-term goal is to identify the extent to which interacting with haptic-based learning experiences (HABLE) mediates students' conceptual understanding and representational fluency of difficult concepts in statics.