2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

In this theory/methods paper we put forth an assessment framework for evaluating student constructed artifacts that has emerged from our exploratory design-based research on facilitation of problem-based learning (PBL) in an undergraduate course. PBL has generally been found to positively impact students' learning of core knowledge and essential skills, such as problem-solving, which align with professional demands and support lifelong learning. However, challenges in problem design, facilitation, and assessment hinder broader adoption of PBL, partly due to the lack of methodological tools for faculty. Research suggests that qualitative assessment methods, such as analyzing project artifacts, are more effective than quantitative ones for evaluating the professional skills central to PBL, with an emphasis on assessing the problem-solving process rather than just the final product.
This work derives from an ongoing project to operationalize Jonassen’s design theory of problem solving by leveraging three key facets of his framework: problem variation (represented by "structuredness" and "complexity"), problem typology (which identifies distinct problem-solving strategies for different problem types), and specific types of knowledge (conceptual, domain, structural, and procedural) to design and implement PBL at a granular level. Analysis and coding of students’ artifacts as a part of our larger study in an introductory aerospace engineering course informed the development of the proposed assessment framework that we argue can be implemented as part of answering the research question: How can we assess process within product in problem-based learning?
Employing Hatch's (2002) Interpretive Analysis model and Jonassen’s design theory of problem solving as a theoretical framework we transformed student artifacts into descriptive and analytical insights This methodology resulted in a coding scheme that informed the creation of an assessment framework, which is shared in this paper. We propose that this framework can assist PBL facilitators and teaching assistants in assessing student artifacts with a process-oriented focus, rather than solely evaluating the final product. Our emerging "assessment framework" is built on six key themes identified through our analysis and coding: Problem Framing, Problem Type Identification, Resolution of Ill-Structuredness, Narrative Communication, Resolution of Complexity, and Outcome Correctness.
To demonstrate its application, two examples of student-constructed artifacts, submitted at three checkpoints, will be presented. These examples showcase differing approaches: one prioritizes the process, while the other focuses on the outcome. We will highlight how the framework distinguishes between the two, assessing not only the correctness of the final solution but also the underlying problem-solving strategies. The potential of this framework to aid faculty in assessing PBL or PBL-like experiences and to foster a PBL community of practice will be explored in the full paper.