2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Introduction

This work in progress paper examines student agency in engineering problem solving. Typical engineering homework problems, especially those assigned in engineering science courses, require the use of a particular set of equations, usually to build mathematical fluency and learn conceptual knowledge. These are usually referred to as ‘plug and chug’ problems. Our research team, along with other professors from across the country, have created ill-defined problems assigned in statics and dynamics to counter this pattern of problem solving and engage students in making assumptions and determining the reasonableness of their answers. In short, we gave students agency to define and decide on how they wanted to go about solving the process, hoping this would engage them more in conceptual knowledge building and sense-making.

The purpose of the study is to gauge how students feel regarding freedom and agency over their work. We want to evaluate their responses to having more authority over the way they address, solve, and present their work. We would like to see how giving students more freedom to make decisions impacts their learning experience.

We ask: In what ways do students experience agency within the context of working on open-ended engineering problems?

Research Design

Participants completed one or more Open-Ended Modeling Problems (OEMP) projects where they were tasked with generating a mathematical model for a real-world engineering science topic. OEMPs have multiple potential solutions and require students to make assumptions and judge the reasonableness of their solution. We collected data by conducting semi-structured, retrospective interviews and asked students about their OEMP experience and problem solving process. None of our original interview questions addressed agency or freedom. Instead these topics emerged from our analysis. Interviews were then scanned for instances when students discussed agency or related terms including freedom and authority. Excerpts were coded inductively with thematic analysis, to generate themes in what agency meant for them while working on OEMPs. Sensitizing concepts like Engle and Conant (2002) concept of student authority and the widely cited concept of intrinsic motivation will be used to inform codes and emerging themes.

Preliminary Results and Implications

Preliminary results found students commonly used terms such as freedom and agency when discussing OEPM. Moreover, we found that many students have an overall positive experience in regard to having freedom to make decisions on their work. Several students found it to be more enjoyable and less limiting when they had free reign to address the problems in whatever way they chose. Students who were not used to having such agency over their work felt that it gave them a more realistic view of how to approach problems as an engineer. Some students felt independent thinking enabled them to apply their skills better. Conversely, one student noted feeling overwhelmed by the freedom and thought it might be difficult for students to meet task expectations in this context. A deeper understanding of the variety of ways students experience agency can inform how researchers and instructors better support students engaged in open-ended problems.