2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Gender-Related Effects on Learning with Hands-On Modules in Engineering Classrooms

Presented at Pedagogy and Instructional Practices

Numerous studies have endorsed hands-on learning as an effective way to transform science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. More specifically, advocates of hands-on learning in STEM suggest that such active learning strategies have been found to increase students' engagement and learning. Indeed, numerous studies have been conducted on the effects of low-cost desktop learning modules (LC-DLMs) on students' learning experiences in engineering classrooms as part of a broad program of research to promote hands-on learning. We have reported on the effects of LC-DLMs on students' motivation and learning strategies skills in past publications. However, little is known about how different students learn with LC-DLMs. Such studies are needed to further establish the robustness of LC-DLMs for improving different students’ learning and motivation to learn. The present study begins to fill this gap by examining if LC-DLMs offer differential benefits or effects based on the gender of participants who used these LC-DLMs. If the LC-DLMs provide equal or similar benefits to males and females, this may suggest its robustness across gender and help contribute to existing literature on gender inequality in STEM suggesting that the engineering field has witnessed dramatic gender gaps in retention and workforce development between males and females. This underrepresentation of females in science-dominated fields is a continual concern for social scientists and policymakers. This study aims to examine gender differences in overt attention focusing on students' affective and motivational engagements to examine gender gaps in learning outcomes that might eventually channel students into lifelong gendered career paths. A total of 60 survey responses from students enrolled in Fluid Mechanics and Heat Transfer (FM and HT), a junior-level chemical engineering course at research universities in the United States of America, were used in this study. More specifically, the study used these survey responses to assess differences in learning and engagement between male and female participants. Results show no significant differences between the gender groups, which suggests that using LC-DLMs is beneficial for females as they are for males. The paper concludes with implications and recommendations for hands-on researchers to develop hands-on interventions.

Authors

Mr. Oluwafemi Johnson Ajeigbe Washington State University
Dr. Prashanta Dutta http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5082-3994 Washington State University [biography]

Prof. Prashanta Dutta has received his PhD degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Texas A&M University in 2001. Since then he has been working as an Assistant Professor at the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering at Washington State University. He was promoted to the rank of Associate and Full Professor in 2007 and 2013, respectively. Prof. Dutta is an elected Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). He current serves as an Editor for the Electrophoresis.
David B. Thiessen http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4283-5914 Washington State University [biography]

David B.Thiessen received his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Colorado in
1992 and has been at Washington State University since 1994. His research interests include fluid
physics, acoustics, and engineering education.
Jacqueline Gartner Ph.D. Campbell University [biography]

Jacqueline Gartner is an Associate Professor at Campbell University in the School of Engineering, which offers a broad BS in engineering with concentrations in chemical, mechanical, and electrical.
Kitana Kaiphanliam http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9799-0463 Washington State University [biography]

Kitana Kaiphanliam is a doctoral candidate in the Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering at Washington State University (WSU). Her research focuses include miniaturized, hands-on learning modules for engineering education and bioreactor
Dr. Olusola Adesope Washington State University [biography]

Dr. Olusola O. Adesope is a Professor of Educational Psychology and a Boeing Distinguished Professor of STEM Education at Washington State University, Pullman. His research is at the intersection of educational psychology, learning sciences, and instructi
Prof. Bernard J. Van Wie http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7382-9715 Washington State University [biography]

Prof. Bernard J. Van Wie received his B.S., M.S. and Ph.D., and did his postdoctoral work at the University of Oklahoma where he also taught as a visiting lecturer. He has been on the Washington State University (WSU) faculty for 41years and for the past 27 words has focused extensively on novel team-interactive hands-on learning with miniature Desktop Learning Modules that represent physical equipment used in industry. Van Wie and his cross-disciplinary team have shown markedly enhanced learning of concepts at higher Bloom's levels and student motivation through use of the these modules. He has about 100 publications in engineering education journals and ASEE full-length publish-to-present archives.

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