Using Metacognition to Teach Evaluation of Results in Structural Analysis Courses

随着结构分析问题的规模和复杂性的增加，错误的可能性和错误的破坏性影响也在增加。目前，结构分析课程和教科书很少涉及如何评估结构分析结果的合理性。因此，本项目正在开发基于元认知的结构分析结果教学评价原型教材。元认知是一个人监控和改善自己在某一领域的认知表现所遵循的一系列步骤。二十多年来，元认知一直被用于提高学生在阅读、数学和科学方面的学习；然而，该技术尚未在工程上得到广泛应用。调查人员正在采访结构工程师专家，以记录他们用来成功评估结构分析结果的认知策略。学生接受认知策略和元认知的指导。元认知允许学生在学习如何实施认知策略的过程中监控自己的决策过程。校园评估办公室的成员以独立观察员的身份对学生的学习进行评估。在结构I和结构II课程的三次迭代中测量学习情况：第一次没有元认知的正式指导，随后的两次迭代有指导。原型课程材料正在以电子方式提供，以便其他机构的教师可以采用新的课程格式。研究者正在发布专家工程师使用的策略，以允许执业工程师提高他们的知识库。这些材料也分发给设计公司进行内部培训。此外，这些材料正在提供给教师，以便在所有工程学科的课程中引入结果评估。

As the size and complexity of structural analysis problems increase, the potential for errors and the devastating impacts of errors increase. Currently, structural analysis courses and textbooks provide minimal coverage, if any, on how to evaluate the reasonableness of structural analysis results. Therefore, this project is developing prototype course materials for teaching evaluation of structural analysis results using metacognition. Metacognition is a sequence of steps followed by a person to monitor and improve that person's own cognitive performance in an area. Metacognition has been used to improve student learning in reading, math and science for over twenty years; however, the technique has not yet been widely used in engineering. The investigators are interviewing expert structural engineers to document the cognitive strategies they use to successfully evaluate structural analysis results. The students receive instruction on the cognitive strategies and on metacognition. Metacognition allows the students to monitor their own decision-making processes as they learn how to implement the cognitive strategies. Members of the Campus Office of Assessment are conducting evaluation of student learning as independent observers. Learning is being measured during three iterations of the Structures I and Structures II courses: the first without formal instruction on metacognition and the two subsequent iterations with instruction. The prototype course materials are being made available electronically so that instructors at other institutions can adopt the new format for the courses. The investigator is publishing the strategies used by expert engineers to allow practicing engineers to improve their knowledge base.The materials are also being disseminated to design firms for in-house training. In addition, these materials are being made available to instructors in order to introduce results evaluation in courses across all engineering disciplines.