IUSE Engaged Student Learning Exploration Project: Understanding the Development of Metacognitive Skills in a Problem-based Learning Undergraduate Engineering Program

终身学习的能力是工程实践成功的关键。元认知被定义为思考，是发展终身学习的关键，但在工程教育中很少直接涉及。本项目旨在(1)了解工科学生在以问题为基础的学习(PBL)计划的准备过程中发展的元认知技能，以及(2)了解这种准备是否有助于学生过渡到劳动力市场。项目调查人员正在研究铁岭工程(IRE)项目的学生和毕业生，这是一个创新的PBL项目，将元认知教学与工程内容相结合。IRE计划为学习发展工科学生的元认知技能提供了一个独特的环境，作为他们课程的一部分，这些学生解决了结构不良的现实世界的问题。在这项研究中，项目调查人员正在采访学生、从事工程师工作的应届毕业生以及IRE毕业生的雇主。此外，两份问卷和有声思考方案将被用来衡量学生对元认知的使用情况。有声思考协议包括记录学生在解决工程设计问题时所说的话。这些工具将为研究小组提供有关学生使用元认知的丰富信息。作为该项目的一部分开发的工程元认知模式将对工程教育做出重大贡献。如果IRE项目使用的显性元认知教学成功地培养了元认知能力，并且这种能力适用于工作场所，这些教学活动可以作为工程教育工作者的典范，提高学生成为灵活、独立和终身学习者的准备。

The capacity for life-long learning is critical for success in engineering practice. Metacognition, defined as thinking about thinking, is key to the development of life-long learning, yet is rarely directly addressed in engineering education. This project is designed to (1) understand the metacognitive skills developed during preparation of engineering students in a problem-based learning (PBL) program, and (2) understand if this preparation helps students in transitioning to the workforce. Project investigators are studying students and graduates of the Iron Range Engineering (IRE) program, an innovative PBL program that integrates metacognition instruction with engineering content. The IRE program offers a unique setting for studying developing metacognitive skills in engineering students who, as part of their curriculum, solve ill-structured, real-world problems. In this study, project investigators are interviewing students, recent graduates who are working as engineers, and employers of IRE graduates. In addition, two questionnaires and a think-aloud protocol will be administered to measure students' use of metacognition. The think-aloud protocol involves recording what students say as they solve an engineering design problem. These instruments will provide the team with rich information about the students' use of metacognition. The model of engineering metacognition developed as part of this project will make a significant contribution to engineering education. If the explicit metacognitive instruction used by the IRE program provides success in developing metacognitive capacity, and that capacity is applicable in the workplace, these instructional activities could be used as a model for engineering educators to improve the readiness of students to be flexible, independent, and life-long learners.