This paper presents a quantitative and qualitative study for discovering how written reflective exercises following in-class prediction activities enhance learning gains in a heat and mass transfer course for chemical engineering undergraduate students. The primary purpose of this research is to determine if and to what extent written reflection plays a role in adjusting commonly-held misconceptions students have about heat and mass transfer. To study this, three 30-minute prediction activities were planned throughout a ten-week course. The study participants included two sections of a course with approximately 20 junior-level chemical engineering students each. Based on their course section, students were broken into two groups. One group was asked to complete a follow-up reflection assignment after each prediction activity, guiding them through the reflective process, while the other group completed no structured follow-up reflection activity. The HECI (Heat and Energy Concept Inventory) was administered to students of all sections at the start and the end of the course. The HECI was used to evaluate learning gains. Archived data from classes with no prediction activities and no reflection activities served as a control group. Correlations between quantitative assessment performance and student group (prediction activities and practicing reflection, prediction activities only, no prediction and no reflection) are discussed. To explore if the quality of reflection is related to learning gains, student reflections were ranked according to a validated rubric and compared with data on learning gains. Additionally, to further understand how students' perception of learning is affected by these activities, a focus group of 5 students was organized and interviewed in a semi-structured format after the conclusion of the course. Key insights from the qualitative interviews are discussed. The goal of this work in progress is to aid in directing the role of prediction and reflection activities in future courses. IntroductionThe motivation for this work is driven by the conclusions that that even after successful completion of college-level engineering courses, some students still hold common misconceptions about heat and mass transfer. This has been documented in the form of postinstruction assessments, such as concept inventories, that target assessing conceptual knowledge. Beyond calculations and problem-solving, conceptual knowledge seems particularly difficult to adjust using traditional classroom techniques. This study explores the use of reflective activities in combination with prediction activities to better understand if and how reflection plays a role in shifting conceptual knowledge of heat and mass transfer.The theoretical foundations for this study include literature on conceptual change, inductivelearning as a form of active-learning, and reflection. This literature review will give a brief overview of conceptual change and inductive-learning, but will focus on reflection, particularly in the contex...
ASSeSSment mAtterSAS prACtitionerS, we are now regularly encouraged to incorporate assessment into our daily practice by asking what pat terenzini and m. lee upcraft described as the most important questions in student affairs: "is what we are doing having any effect, is that effect the intended one, and how do we know?" (p. 218). however, we are not always sure how to approach these questions, and frankly, we are often a bit afraid of the answers. despite the fact that assessment sometimes feels uncomfortable and cumbersome, even daunting, it is critical for student affairs educators to see the value of collecting evidence of student learning. So how might we answer these important questions in a time when they have become fundamental to our work? through three fictional composites, based roughly on actual events, this article examines the defining features of a faculty approach to understanding student learning and their contributions to that learning-namely, the scholarship of teaching and learning (Sotl).
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Framed by Huber and Hutchings's defining features of the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL), the study described in this chapter examines institutional encouragement of and faculty engagement in SoTL. Faculty at forty‐nine U.S. colleges and universities participating in the 2009 Faculty Survey of Student Engagement completed items about SoTL. Results suggest that institutional encouragement of and faculty engagement in the public dissemination of teaching investigations lag behind encouragement and engagement in other aspects of SoTL. Some faculty subgroups (among them, women and faculty in education) on average feel more institutional encouragement and engage in SoTL activities more than their colleagues do.
This study explores the frequency of student exposure to teaching‐clarity behaviors and the extent to which these behaviors relate to student engagement, deep approaches to learning, and students' self‐reports of gains in college. Researchers found that students exposed to more clear teaching behaviors, such as explaining course goals and requirements, had positive relationships with all of these outcomes. There were particularly strong relationships between students' exposure to clear teaching behaviors and their sense of campus support and self‐reports of gains.
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