Collaborative Research/Research Initiation: What Practice Makes Perfect

实践在培养几乎任何事业的有用能力方面都起着重要作用。虽然实践在竞技体育和音乐表演中得到了广泛的研究，但在工程教育中却研究不足。随着训练和实践策略的进步，运动员和音乐家不断创造新的记录。实践的金标准被发现是“刻意实践”，它非常强调实践的特殊性。为了达到上级的表现，优秀的表演者必须练习量身定制的演习，专注于特定的技能不足，就像他们作为初学者如何练习，以获得快速进步。相比之下，工程专业的学生很少有这样的具体实践。例如，学生通常练习课本上的问题，这可能超出他们目前的技能水平。这种做法将导致毫无进展或进展甚微，并削弱信任。让学生参与有效的练习对提高学习效率至关重要。拟议的研究将检查在网关工程力学课程（即，静力学和动力学），这对工程专业的学生保留率有很大的影响。我们将特别关注探索什么类型的刻意练习可以帮助学生在最初的学习阶段以及在后期的保持阶段更有效。此外，本研究还将探讨有利于工程教师获得知识和技能进行工程教育研究的实践策略。这项研究的发现和见解将扩大工程教育研究人员的群体，并加快采用循证教学策略。这项研究将在安柏瑞德航空大学进行。三种策略的效果（即，在入门课程中，我们会探讨如何发展及巩固解决问题的技巧。将使用混合方法。将利用多变量和单变量统计模型分析从平衡研究设计中收集的数据，并控制混杂因素。将收集定量数据来分析学习成绩，定性数据将用于将定量结果结合起来，并改进实践。该项目的智力优势体现在推进力学课程及其他课程的实践设计知识，通过实践生成有关学生力学概念和程序知识变化的更详细信息，以及为扩大工程教育研究社区提供见解。该项目的广泛影响是研究本身所固有的，因为该项目的研究结果不仅会影响490名本科工程专业学生并增强学习机制，而且有可能改善其他应用科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）领域的学习，其中实践作为主要的学习机制。随着安柏瑞德航空大学在STEM项目中越来越多地招募女性、残疾人和代表性不足的少数民族，该项目将有助于STEM劳动力的多样化。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Practice plays an important role in developing useful abilities for almost any undertaking. Although practice has been studied extensively in competitive sports and musical performance, it is understudied within engineering education. With advancements in training and practice strategies, athletes and musicians have kept setting new records. The gold standard for practice has been discovered as "deliberate practice" which puts great emphasis on practice specificity. To achieve superior performance, elite performers must practice with tailored drills focused on specific skill deficiencies just as how they practiced as beginners to gain rapid progress. In contrast, engineering students rarely practice with such specificity. For example, students usually practice with textbook problems which might exceed their current skill level. Such practice will result in no or little progress and reduced confidence. It is critical to engage students with effective practice to enhance learning efficiency. The proposed study will examine the effectiveness of tailored practice strategies in the gateway engineering mechanics courses (i.e., Statics and Dynamics) which have a high impact on engineering student retention. Special focus will be given to exploring what types of deliberate practice can help students more effectively in the initial learning stage as well as in the later retention phase. Additionally, this research initiation will also investigate practice strategies which benefit engineering faculty in acquiring knowledge and skills for conducting engineering education research. Findings and insights gained from this research will expand the community of engineering education researchers and expedite the adoption of evidence-based instructional strategies.The study will be conducted at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. The effects of three strategies (i.e., backwards faded practice, modular practice, and spaced practice) on developing and consolidating problem solving skills will be investigated in the gateway courses. Mixed-methods will be used. Multivariate and univariate statistical models will be utilized to analyze data collected from the counterbalanced research design with the benefit of controlling confounding factors. Quantitative data will be collected to analyze learning performance and qualitative data will be used to contextualize quantitative findings as well as refine practice. The intellectual merits of the project are manifested by advancing knowledge of practice design for mechanics courses and beyond, generating information in greater detail about changes to students' conceptual and procedure knowledge of mechanics through practice, as well as providing insights on expanding the engineering education research community. The broad impacts of the project are intrinsic to the research itself because the findings from this project will not only impact 490 undergraduate engineering students and enhance learning mechanics, but also have the potential to improve learning in other applicable science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) areas in which practice serves as a major learning mechanism. With Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's increasing effort on recruiting women, people with disabilities, and underrepresented minorities in the STEM programs, the project will contribute in diversifying the STEM workforce.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.