Accelerated Learning and Assessment in Engineering Mechanics

反复刻意练习解决问题可以增加学生对困难的工程概念的理解。此外，经常收到形成性反馈的学生能够更好地识别和纠正推理中的问题。不幸的是，很少有本科工程课程能为学生提供这样的反复练习、有针对性的反馈和集中辅导的机会。该项目旨在通过开发一种用于学习工程力学的自动化教育干预工具来实现这些机会。这个开放访问、解决问题的界面将根据工科学生在实践练习中的表现为他们提供反馈和辅导。由于所有开发的材料都将是开源和开放获取的，该项目还可以为当地机构以外的学生和教师的工作提供信息和支持。通过专注于培养强大的分析解决问题的技能，该项目直接回应了行业和联邦政府培养一支能够创新解决问题的工程队伍的优先事项。因此，该项目有可能有助于美国保持其经济竞争力和作为全球创新领导者的地位。该项目将：1)开发一个创新的问题交付和评估系统，并评估其在满足工程力学特定学习和评估目标方面的有效性；2)系统地研究这个技术丰富的问题解决界面如何通过教育研究研究来增强复杂知识的学习、教学和评估；以及3)批判性地评估在教育背景下扩展和转移创新的机会和障碍。这项研究应该有助于理解自动化辅导系统等技术解决方案如何增强对复杂知识和技能的学习和评估。因此，该项目很可能与其他工程主题的教与学相关，以及其他STEM领域的主题。该奖项反映了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。

Repeated deliberate practice in problem-solving can increase students' understanding of difficult engineering concepts. In addition, students who receive frequent formative feedback are better able to identify and correct problems with their reasoning. Unfortunately, few undergraduate engineering courses provide students with such opportunities for repeated practice, targeted feedback, and focused tutoring. This project aims to enable these opportunities by developing an automated educational intervention tool for learning engineering mechanics. This open-access, problem-solving interface will provide engineering students with feedback and tutoring, based on their performance on practice exercises. Since all developed materials will be open-source and open-access, the project can also inform and support the work of students and teachers beyond the local institution. By focusing on developing strong analytical problem-solving skills, this project directly responds to industry and the federal government priorities for developing an engineering workforce that is capable of innovative problem solving. Thus, this project has the potential to contribute to the ability of the U.S. to maintain its economic competitiveness and position as a global leader in innovation. The project will: 1) develop an innovative problem delivery and assessment system and evaluate its effectiveness in meeting specific learning and assessment goals in engineering mechanics; 2) systematically study how this technology-rich problem-solving interface can enhance the learning, teaching, and assessment of complex knowledge through an education research study; and 3) critically evaluate opportunities and barriers to scaling and transferring the innovation across educational contexts. This study should contribute to understanding how technological solutions, such as automated tutoring systems, can enhance learning and assessment of complex knowledge and skills. As a result, this project is likely to have relevance for teaching and learning of other engineering topics, as well as topics in other STEM fields.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.