2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Board 327: Learning Map Framework to Align Instruction and Improve Student Learning in a Physics-Engineering Mechanics Course Sequence

Presented at NSF Grantees Poster Session

This project supports the success of undergraduate engineering students through coordinated design of curricula across STEM course sequences. The Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, Evaluation (ADDIE) framework and backward design are being used to develop guides for instructors to align learning outcomes, assessments, and instructional materials in a physics – engineering mechanics course sequence. The approach relies on the analysis of student learning outcomes in each course, identification of interdependent learning outcomes across courses, and development of skills hierarchies in the form of visual learning maps. The learning maps are used to illustrate the knowledge required and built upon throughout the course sequence. This study will assess the effectiveness of a course design intervention, which uses visual learning maps and backward design concepts, to guide instructors within a common course sequence to align learning outcomes and assessments. If successful, the intervention is expected to streamline curricular planning by faculty and improve primary learning and knowledge retention by students in the sequence.
The study will compare academic performance among Mechanical Engineering B.S., Environmental Engineering B.S., and Civil Engineering B.S. students who begin a Physics for Engineers – Statics – Dynamics course prior to the intervention (control) and after the intervention (treatment). During control and treatment terms, students’ primary learning in individual courses will be assessed using established concept inventories. Retention of knowledge from pre-requisite courses will be tracked using pre-identified problem sets (quizzes, exams) specifically associated with interdependent learning outcomes in the Statics and Dynamics courses. Students’ primary learning and knowledge retention in the sequence will be tracked longitudinally in order to assess student success outcomes, including retention and graduation. The poster will show the results of the research team’s first year of work, including an analysis of current course materials, learning maps for each course, identification of interdependent learning outcomes, example guiding materials and templates for instructors, and preliminary student performance data from the control cohort.

Authors

Dr. Courtney D Giles http://orcid.org/https://0000-0003-2563-2920 University of Vermont [biography]

Courtney Giles is a Senior Lecturer in Civil & Environmental Engineering and Director of Curricular Enrichment in the College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences at the University of Vermont. Her interests center on curriculum design, the first year experience, inclusive teaching in STEM, and supporting the scholarship of teaching and learning work broadly at her institution.
Dr. Larry R Medsker University of Vermont [biography]

Larry Medsker is a Research Professor of Physics at The George Washington University (GWU) and at the University of Vermont. He is also a Research Affiliate at George Mason University’s Center for Assured Research and Engineering. He is a member of the GWU Human-Technology Collaboration Lab, and Founding Director of the university’s Master’s Program in Data Science. Larry specializes in areas of artificial intelligence, data science, computer science, neural computing, information systems, physics, and STEM education. He is the author of four books and over 200 publications on neural networks, AI, and physics. He serves as Co-Editor-in-Chief of AI and Ethics, Associate Editor of Neural Computing and Applications, and Policy Officer for ACM's Special Interest Group on Artificial Intelligence (SIGAI). Larry provides consulting services and seminars for managers and technologists on best practices for incorporating science and engineering advances into business, government, and educational organizations. All recommendations include attention to the ethical human-centered design and implementation of technology.
VARUNI ANURUDDHIKA SENEVIRATNE University of Vermont
Dr. Priyantha Wijesinghe University of Vermont [biography]

Priyantha Wijesinghe is a Senior Lecturer in Civil and Environmental Engineering and co-Director of Curricular Enrichment for the College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences (CEMS) at the University of Vermont (UVM). Priyantha is a structural engineer and architect by education and is an engineering education and assessment expert. As the co-Director of curricular enrichment, she has organized and facilitated numerous teaching and assessment workshops to enhance the teaching and learning experience for CEMS faculty and students across five engineering programs, mathematics and statistics, and computer science. She also served as the ABET coordinator for five engineering programs in 2021 reaccreditation visit. She has been teaching sophomore to graduate level engineering mechanics and civil and structural engineering courses since 2011 at UVM. Priyantha is also an active member of the Contemplative Practices Learning Community of the University’s Center for Teaching and Learning. She practices mindfulness meditations rooted in Theravada Buddhist tradition and has been incorporating mindfulness practices in her classes since 2019.

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