Instituting and assessing the effectiveness of focusede-learning modules in engineering education

• Autores: Gillian M. Nicholls, Sherri L. Restauri
• Localización: The International journal of engineering education, ISSN-e 0949-149X, Vol. 31, no. Extra 2, 2015, págs. 461-475
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • This study examines the development, utilization, and assessment of e-learning modules designed to assist students inmastering core concepts in a hybrid undergraduate engineering economic analysis class. The online learning aids focusedupon key conceptual material that students had historically experienced difficulty learning within this course. The modulesconsisted of a short audio/video ‘‘micro-lecture’’ (ML) recording about a particular topic accompanied by downloadablereference documents containing the associated ML PowerPoint1slides and example problems. Automated assessmentexercises were created for students to practice their grasp of the concepts. The online assessments and reference materialswere hosted within the course learning management system, while the ML videos were accessed through a separate distancelearning platform. Detailed records of students’ use of the MLs, online assessment scores, exam performance, prioracademic performance, and demographic variables were gathered. This data was compared to results for students in twopreviously taught sections who served as controls for the study. Although preliminary data indicates that the focusedmodules have been helpful to some students, data results overall were inconclusive in demonstrating improved learningoutcomes across the board for students in the targeted course. Recommendations for improvements to data collectionacross multiple selections, methodology design, and e-learning tool implementation are provided for future studies.