Examining the Agreement Between Student and Instructor Task Perceptions in a Complex Engineering Design Task

Abstract

Understanding assigned tasks is an important skill for academic success. However, few studies have explored the accuracy of task understanding as it develops over the duration of a complex assignment. This study examined explicit, implicit, and socio-cultural aspects of task understanding in the context of an design project assigned to a third year class of Mechanical Engineering students. Specifically, this study examined: (1) the agreement between student and instructors task perceptions for the same complex engineering design task, and (2) changes in both instructor's and students' task perceptions from the beginning to the end of the task. Findings indicate that: (1) students' and instructor task-perceptions generally became more attuned over time, (2) instructor task-understanding evolved over time, and (3) socio-contextual aspects of task-understanding were highly correlated with task and course academic achievement.

Understanding Student Coregulation in Task Interpretation during Electronics Laboratory Activities

“…In SRL, students must consider what they are being asked to do, activate concepts and perceptions resulting from previous learning experiences that are relevant to the assignment, and construct a personal plan to complete the assigned task (Hadwin et al, 2009;Lawanto, 2011). Task interpretation is the critical first step in the SRL process.…”

“…Therefore, successful task interpretation is the foundation of focused engagement (Butler & Cartier, 2004). Task interpretation depends on student engagement in a wide range of cognitive, metacognitive, and motivational processes to assess and interpret task information provided by an instructor in a particular context (Hadwin et al, 2009). Researchers have related task interpretation to engineering design, project management, and engineering projects in general, but not in the specific context of laboratory work.…”

“…Understanding SRL requires awareness of the context in which it occurs, and interpretation of research results requires sensitivity to the context in which a particular study was conducted (Butler & Cartier, 2004). Task interpretation refers to students' construction of an internal representation of the externally assigned task (Hadwin, Oshige, Miller, & Wild, 2009). It is considered by Buttler and Cartier (2004) the heart of the SRL process because it is determinant of the goals and strategies that students bring in a specific context in the learning process.…”

Instructional strategies in the EGRET course

“…Hadwin [3] further suggests constructing accurate and complete task perceptions is a difficult undertaking as it requires students to analyze and synthesize multiple levels of task information including (a) explicit task information overtly provided in written task instructions such as task criteria, (b) implicit task information extrapolated from the explicit task descriptions, such as the purpose of the task, and (c) contextual task information such as knowledge of values, beliefs, and expectations for the task specific to contexts and disciplines (Figure 2). While sophisticated task perceptions predict performance, research suggests students often struggle with this process and often overlook implicit and contextual task information that particularly critical in successfully adapting task engagement across contexts [4,7,10,12]. As such, supporting students to engage in active analysis of research tasks is a valuable, yet rarely emphasized aspect of graduate training.…”

“…Based on Hadwin's Task Analyzer Questionnaire [4,12] the task analysis tool was comprised of open-ended questions asking students not only to define explicit task information, but also to interpret and explain implicit and contextual task information critical for conducting successful research across contexts. During each discussion, the task analysis tool was delivered using collaborative editing tools (e.g., Google Docs) shared amongst all group members.…”