2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

To succeed academically, engineering students must develop effective study skills and become self-regulated learners capable of reflecting on their learning needs and taking action to improve their understanding and application of course topics [1]. In engineering, mastering and applying problem-solving heuristics is crucial for efficient problem-solving [2], [3]. These heuristics may include restating the problem, drawing diagrams, and identifying relevant formulas [4], [5]. To succeed in their studies, students must develop a deep understanding of how problem strategies function in the context of other class concepts and learn when to apply one over another [6].

At a private mid-sized R1 institution, over 500 first-year students enroll in the introductory engineering course during their first quarter. This course covers MATLAB programming and linear algebra and provides an optimal entry point for introducing effective study strategies early in students’ engineering education. Through this course, students are provided with ample resources to aid their learning, such as course materials, drop-in tutoring, and peer-guided study groups.

In this study, we consider how engagement with different resources correlates with a student’s performance and development of metacognitive self-regulatory skills. To assess this correlation, students are given access to two resources: an “Assignment Calculator” and a “Synthesis Sheet.” The Assignment Calculator breaks the process of studying for exams into concrete steps to encourage students to start studying early, synthesize material, and engage in practice problems. Effectively using all class and institutional resources is an example of self-regulated learning, where students set goals, reflect on their learning, and take action to improve their performance[1]. The “Synthesis Sheet” is a study tool designed to encourage students to define key topics, describe and provide relevant formulas and examples, and clarify when specific aspects of the topic are applicable. This resource is intended to scaffold the learning process, supporting students in organizing and applying their knowledge.

Other researchers have used worksheets to scaffold the learning process, providing a roadmap to point students toward key information in the course [7]. For example, in mathematics education, researchers used scaffolds to facilitate students’ development of contextual, conceptual, and procedural knowledge of how to add and subtract fractions [8]. We hypothesize that when students complete their synthesis sheets, they connect different topics covered in the course, which will help them solve problems more effectively and improve their performance on the exams. Furthermore, we investigate whether engagement with the resources improves students’ metacognitive and self-regulatory behaviors.

Our study seeks to evaluate how this multifaceted intervention may improve students’ study strategies and whether the quality of the synthesis sheets predicts exam performance. These objectives are captured in the following research questions:
• RQ 1: To what extent does the quality of students’ synthesis sheets predict their performance in the course?
• RQ 2: How does engagement with the synthesis sheet correlate with students’ demonstration of metacognitive self-regulation?

To address RQ1, students are provided with a list of key topics for each exam and are required to complete and submit at least one synthesis sheet per exam. These sheets will be graded using a rubric that assesses content and clarity. The synthesis sheet grades will be compared with students’ exam performance. To address RQ 2, student metacognitive self-regulation is measured using the 12-item Metacognitive Self-Regulation (MSR) subscale of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) [10]. Students will complete the MSR and provide information about the types of resources they used to prepare for the exam in a post-exam assessment. The MSR scores will be calculated by averaging the responses to each survey item [11]. With this data, we will investigate how student MSR scores throughout the quarter, determine if MSR scores predict exam or synthesis sheet performance, and correlate MSR scores with the types of resources students engage with throughout the quarter.

The anticipated results of this study will provide insights into the growth and development of students’ learning strategies in a first-year engineering course, evaluate the effectiveness of the synthesis sheets as a learning tool, and demonstrate the relationship between resource usage and metacognitive self-regulation.

*This work received an "exempt from continuing oversight" determination by the authors' institutional IRB.