Incorporating Research Experiences into an Introductory Materials Science Course

• Autores: Yuanyuan Zhou, Eunju Jung, Raymundo Arróyave, Miladin Radovic, Patrick Shamberger
• Localización: The International journal of engineering education, ISSN-e 0949-149X, Vol. 31, no. 6 (Parte A), 2015, págs. 1491-1503
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • This study investigated whether the inclusion of a student-centered research component in an introductory materials science courseresulted in a larger knowledge gain relative to traditional pedagogies. The redesigned course was taught in five different sections,over three academic years, at one of the largest public university, namely Texas A&M. Gains in conceptual understanding werequantified by comparing pre- and post-course completion Materials Concept Inventory (MCI) scores. Pre- and post- PittsburghEngineering Attitudes Scale—Revised (PEAS-R) was used to measure the impact of redesign course on student attitudes towardsengineering. Additionally, a post hoc survey was conducted to collect students’ opinions on research experiences at the end ofsemester. Students in the redesigned class demonstrated higher knowledge gain on the MCI relative to traditional lectures,consistent with previous studies that examined the effect of in-class active learning pedagogies. The post hoc survey showed apositive response of the students’ with regards to improvements in their critical thinking, quality of learning, oral, written, andcommunication skills.