2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

WIP: A Novel Learning Log Application for Classifying Learning Events Using Bloom’s Taxonomy

Presented at Innovative Pedagogical Techniques in Engineering Education

Learning can be a daunting and challenging process, particularly in engineering. While cognitive models for learning such as Bloom's taxonomy have been developed since the 1950s and evidenced to be useful in designing engineering courses, these models are not commonly explicitly taught in classrooms to help students manage and regulate their own learning. In highly demanding curriculum such as engineering, ineffective strategies can lead to poor academic performance that cascades throughout a student’s academic career. Feedback from traditional examinations often do not provide personalized and actionable changes to study habits (i.e., with suboptimal scores, students may know they need to study more, but whether “more” is effective is often unclear). There is a pressing need to bridge the gap between study practices and learning outcomes that enable students to regulate and improve their own learning strategies in engineering. This work in progress paper presents initial data from a novel “learning log” application that allows students to enter their studying activity (e.g., timed practice exam, redoing homework, reading the textbook, practice problems), and labels the cognition level (using Bloom's taxonomy: remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, create). In this work in progress, we present initial data from students’ logged studying activities using the application. The logging allows students to track their cognition distribution over time, providing data about how they engaged with course content.

Authors

Dr. Alex M. Phan http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2489-2886 University of California, San Diego [biography]

Dr. Alex Phan is the inaugural Executive Director for Student Success in the Jacobs School of Engineering at UC San Diego. Prior to his appointment, he has served as a project scientist, engineer, and lecturer, teaching across multiple divisions, including the Jacobs School of Engineering (Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Dept. of Mechanical and Aerospace Eng., Dean's Office Unit) and UC San Diego Division of Extended Studies. His teaching interests and expertise are in experiential learning, holistic education models, active learning environments, and metacognition. In his current role, he leads the IDEA Student Center, a prolific student-centered resource hub at the Jacobs School of Engineering.
Jenna Metera University of California, San Diego [biography]

Jenna Metera is a 6th year PhD candidate at the University of California, San Diego and an instructor for the course "Engineer Your Success", a two credit course offered by the IDEA Center. The course focuses on helping students develop their personal and study skills in the realm of time management, communication, prioritization, and self-assessment of themselves, including their way of learning. When Jenna is not teaching, she is developing her thesis on the synthesis of morphology controlled bismuth ferrite for enhanced electrical applications. She aims to work for a national lab following her defense to bolster the basic sciences in government operations.
Sonia Fereidooni University of California, San Diego [biography]

Sonia Fereidooni is an undergraduate researcher and Computer Science student with UC San Diego's Computer Science and Engineering Department, where she explores her burgeoning interest in artificial intelligence and machine learning. With a focus on collaboration and learning, Sonia contributes to projects with profound impact. Her journey is marked by her dedication to making a meaningful contribution in her field through continuous learning and research.
Cham Yang University of California, San Diego [biography]

Cham Yang is a Web Development Supervisor and an Applications Programmer at the Jacobs School IT Team, Office of Engineering Computing OEC). His experience as a web/app developer ranges from creating campus wide web applications to developing e-commerce solutions or small businesses.
Dr. Minju Kim http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5878-7350 University of California, San Diego [biography]

Minju Kim is a postdoctoral scholar at the Engaged Teaching Hub at the UCSD Teaching+Learning Commons. Minju received her Ph.D in Experimental Psychology at UC San Diego. With Engaged Teaching Hub, Minju has designed TA training materials for oral exams and have conducted quantitative analysis on the value of oral exams as early diagnostic tool (Kim et al., ASEE 2022). Minju is interested in designing assessments that can capture and motivate students' deep conceptual learning, such as oral exams and the usage of visual representations (e.g., diagrams and manual gestures).
Dr. Carolyn L. Sandoval University of California, San Diego [biography]

Dr. Sandoval is the Associate Director of the Teaching + Learning Commons at the University of California, San Diego. She earned a PhD in Adult Education-Human Resource Development. Her research interests include adult learning and development, faculty development, qualitative methods of inquiry, and social justice education.
Dr. Phuong Truong http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0420-4575 University of California, San Diego [biography]

Phuong Truong is a Lecturer and Staff Research Associate at UC San Diego and an Engineering Adjunct Faculty at the San Diego Mesa College. She received her B.S. (2016) in structural engineering, M.S. (2018) in mechanical engineering, and Ph.D. (2023) in mechanical engineering from Jacobs School of Engineering. Her primary education research interests include experiential learning, holistic modeling, and active learning practices.

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