There has been much criticism about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education not focusing enough on problem solving, especially in authentic realworld contexts which are most often associated to ill-structured domains. To improve education, it is essential that curricula promote high levels of cognitive development by exposing students to authentic problems. Problem-based learning (PBL) is a studentcentered pedagogy that offers a strong framework upon which to build a curriculum to teach students essential problem solving skills. An authentic problem-solving experience, which is highly valued and promoted outside of the classroom yet almost nonexistent in the classroom, is undergraduate research (UR). Herein, the goal was to understand the nature of UR problems as a means of developing recommendations for translating UR problems and experiences into the classroom using PBL methodologies. Using survey design, data were collected from sixty students participating in summer undergraduate research experiences. Our findings revealed that moderately structured and fairly complex UR problems are well-suited for PBL implementation in the classroom because they trigger the use of multiple cognitive operations in the context of a continuously changing, dynamic, and interdisciplinary team environment.
Given worldwide prevalence of low-stakes testing for monitoring educational quality and students' progress through school (e.g., Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, Program for International Student Assessment), interpretability of resulting test scores is of global concern. The nonconsequential nature of low-stakes tests can undermine students' test-taking motivation, artificially deflating performance and thus jeopardizing validity of test-based inferences, whether they pertain to programs, institutions, or nations (Eklöf, 2007(Eklöf, , 2010Stanat & Lüdtke, 2013;Wise & DeMars, 2005). Moreover, students in countries such as the United States, where academic progress over the course of K-12 (kindergarten through Grade 12) is systematically assessed, are likely to develop antagonistic attitudes toward lowstakes testing by the time they enter college. The relationship between such attitudes, test-taking motivation, and performance on a low-stakes university accountability test was modeled via path analysis. Results indicated the effects of attitudes were indirect (via test-taking motivation) and minimal, suggesting the influence of attitudes on test performance is negligible, further supporting the validity of inferences made from such low-stakes tests. Implications for international assessment are discussed.
is an Associate Professor and founding faculty member in the School of Engineering, which is graduating its inaugural class May 2012, at James Madison University. Pierrakos holds a B.S. in engineering science and mechanics, an M.S. in engineering mechanics, and a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from Virginia Tech. Her interests in engineering education research center around recruitment and retention, engineering design instruction and methodology, learning through service (NSF EFELTS project), understanding engineering students through the lens of identity theory (NSF BRIGE grant), advancing problem-based learning methodologies (NSF CCLI grant), assessing student learning, and understanding and integrating complex problem solving in undergraduate engineering education (NSF CAREER grant). Her other research interests lie in cardiovascular fluid mechanics, sustainability, and K-12 engineering outreach.
There has been much criticism about undergraduate engineering education not focusing on authentic real-world contexts which are most often associated to ill-structured domains. Undergraduate research experience is one context which provides a strong basis for our students to learn essential problem solving skills. Yet, although such experiences enable engineering students to begin the practice of solving complex problems in authentic contexts, there is a lack of understanding of the nature of these research projects. To fill this gap, we conducted in-depth interviews with students and utilized qualitative data analytic methods in tandem with the Problem-based Learning theory to classify research projects. Initial findings indicate that the research projects tend to be highly complex, moderately structured, and very different from the course-based projects. These findings are important for educators looking to incorporate research-based PBL projects into the classroom.
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