2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Learning is an integral part of our lives. Each one of us learns the same things differently based on our preferred way of learning. We can learn by building mental models; through feelings, emotions, attitudes; and by physical movements. Based on this, the domains of learning are broadly categorized as cognitive (knowledge), affective (attitudes), and psychomotor (skills). In this research study, the focus is only on the cognitive domain of learning. The cognitive domain predominantly focuses on learning using mental models which requires individuals to think and create new and/or build on existing models. This domain has been categorized into a hierarchy of skills/levels based on the learning processes. These six levels, in order of their hierarchy, are knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. This research study aims at answering the following research question, ‘How do undergraduate engineering students understand and perceive learning through the cognitive domain of learning?’

A qualitative research design was used, And the interview questions were designed based on the six hierarchy levels of cognitive domain. Five participants were recruited from different engineering disciplines to participate in an online interview (Zoom) of 45-60 minutes. The interviews were audio recorded and transcribed. NVivo was used to code and organize the qualitative data. First, an open coding approach was used to code the data and then the data was coded in correspondence to each interview question.

When participants were asked general questions about how they perceived mental models, four participants were found to have exceedingly similar learning processes. Additionally, 60% of participants mentioned that the process of taking notes and creating mental models takes time and that these processes used to be, or still are difficult. When asked about creating mental models in relation to the knowledge hierarchical level, all participants said that they would not create mental models for facts or definitions of a concept, and instead will attempt to memorize it. For the understanding hierarchical level, all participants mentioned that they needed to conduct further research to learn about a new concept, predominately in the form of looking up additional examples of how to solve or think about a new concept. When applying their knowledge to new situations or problems, participants said they attempt to find similarities and differences between concepts, test different ideas, and conduct further research as needed. For the analyze hierarchical level, participants’ process was to break down the information into (1) what was given or what is known (2) what additional information is needed and (3) what steps are needed to solve the problem. Then, when synthesizing the information, participants said they connect their information to old mental models to create a larger mental model or wider understanding of a topic. Finally, when asked about their process to evaluate the importance of a concept, four participants had a clear way of determining a concept's importance. While these findings are important, further research is necessary to discover how to maximize students' learning with a focus on the cognitive domain of learning.