Identifying language as a learning barrier in engineering

• Autores: Chirag Variawa, Susan McCahan
• Localización: The International journal of engineering education, ISSN-e 0949-149X, Vol. 28, no. 1, 2012, págs. 183-191
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • The language used in engineering course materials may be a barrier to accurate assessment because students perceive the meaningsof words differently. Universal Design in Education (UDE) has emerged as a strategy for making course material more accessible,but remains largely untested in this area. This study investigates whether students can accurately self-assess their understanding ofvocabulary, i.e. if this is a ‘visible’ or ‘invisible’ deficit from the student’s point of view, using a limited sample of ten words foundin engineering exams. This is a preliminary investigation toward testing the efficacy of a UDE-based mitigation strategy, and itfinds that students often inaccurately self-assess their understanding of language used in engineering examinations.