Collaborative Research: Understanding Context: Propagation and Effectiveness of the Concept Warehouse in Mechanical Engineering at Five Diverse Institutions and Beyond

科学、技术、工程和数学(STEM)领域毕业生的数量和多样性的增加对国家的竞争力至关重要。基于概念的主动学习策略已被证明可以提高学生的学习成绩，并增加选择留在STEM项目的人数。然而，这些策略有效的科学证据并不足以确保教师在课程中使用它们。还有必要了解并找到让教师采用经过验证的实践的方法。在这个项目中，将为静力学和动力学的机械工程课程开发新的基于在线概念的材料。项目团队将研究讲师为什么决定使用这些材料，以及五种不同类型的机构的因素如何影响这些决定。该项目将有助于展示不同机构的情况如何影响教师采用以及学生的学习和动机。它将有助于为支持循证教学实践的广泛使用提供信息。因此，它还将帮助更多的学生留在工科课程并毕业。本项目的目标是在本科工科课程中更多地采用基于概念的主动学习。它建立在项目团队在开发基于网络的化学工程概念仓库教学资源方面的先前成功的基础上。该资源包含数百个简短的问题，以吸引学生进行以概念为导向的思考，评估他们的概念性知识，并提供广泛的基于概念的主动学习工具。该项目将扩大概念仓库，将机械工程的内容包括在内。参与的机构包括研究密集型和为拉美裔服务的机构，以及一所两年制大学。我们将使用系统的方法来研究教育背景的要素，如规模和部门文化，如何影响教师的接受和由此产生的学生学习。混合方法的研究设计将包括使用数据分析、教师访谈、学生焦点小组、观察、课堂视频和概念测试前后的评分。研究计划还将探讨学生背景和人口结构(例如，代表人数不足的少数群体；第一代地位)与机构环境相互作用的方式，以影响学生的学习和参与。研讨会和教师社区建设活动将被用来促进增强的循证教学实践的传播。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

An increase in the number and diversity of graduates in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields is important for the nation's competitiveness. Concept-based active learning strategies have been shown to improve students' academic performance and increase the number who choose to stay in STEM programs. However, scientific proof that these strategies are effective is not enough to make sure instructors use them in courses. It is also necessary to understand and find ways to get instructors to adopt proven practices. In this project new online concept-based materials for mechanical engineering courses in Statics and Dynamics will be developed. The project team will study why instructors decide to use the materials, and how factors at five different types of institutions affect these decisions. The project will help to show how circumstances at different institutions affect both instructor adoption as well as student learning and motivation. It will help inform ways to support widespread use of the evidence-based instructional practice. Thus, it will also help more students stay in and graduate from engineering programs.The goal of this project is to increase the adoption of concept-based active learning throughout undergraduate engineering programs. It builds upon the project team's previous success in developing the web-based Concept Warehouse instructional resource for chemical engineering. The resource contains hundreds of short questions to engage students in concept-oriented thinking, to assess their conceptual knowledge, and to provide extensive concept-based active learning tools. The project will expand Concept Warehouse to include content in mechanical engineering. Participating institutions include research-intensive and Hispanic-serving institutions, as well as a two-year college. A systems approach will be used to examine how elements of the educational context, such as size and departmental culture, influence instructor uptake and the resulting student learning. A mixed-methods research design will include the use of data analytics, instructor interviews, student focus groups, observations, classroom video, and pre/post concept inventory scores. The research plan will also address ways in which student backgrounds and demographics (e.g., underrepresented minorities; first-generation status) interact with institutional settings to affect student learning and engagement. Workshops and faculty community building activities will be used to promote propagation of the enhanced evidence-based instructional practices.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.