2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Phrasing Matters: A Case Study in the Evolution of a Concept Question and the Effect on Student Responses

A total of 1,685 responses from three different versions of a ConcepTest in the Concept Warehouse are evaluated (557, 881, and 247 responses for Versions 1, 2, and 3, respectively). In all responses, students were asked to choose the correct answer and provide a written explanation of their answer choice. The underlying issue of the question is for the student to discover a lack of moment equilibrium in the provided Free Body Diagram. The primary result of the work suggests that a question phrasing with the explicit question “can the body be in static equilibrium,” rather than asking if the Free Body Diagram is “possible” or “suitable,” is more likely to bring student attention to the key underlying issue. Secondary effects of adding kinematic annotations to the FBD, such as axes, dimensions, and angles, were also observed.

Authors

Dr. Christopher Papadopoulos http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0259-7264 University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus [biography]

Christopher Papadopoulos is Professor of Engineering Sciences and Materials at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez (UPRM). He earned B.S. degrees in Civil Engineering and in Mathematics from Carnegie Mellon University (1993) and a Ph.D. in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics at Cornell University (1999). Prior to UPRM, Papadopoulos served on the faculty in the Department of Civil Engineering and Mechanics at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.

Papadopoulos has diverse interests in structural mechanics, sustainable construction materials (with emphasis in bamboo), engineering ethics, and engineering education. He is co-author of Lying by Approximation: The Truth about Finite Element Analysis, and after many years, he has finally (maybe) learned how to teach Statics, using an experiential and peer-based learning “studio” model. As part of the UPRM Sustainability Engineering initiative to develop a new bachelor’s degree and curricular sequence, Papadopoulos is PI of A New Paradigm for Sustainability Engineering: A Transdisciplinary, Learner-Centered, and Diversity-Focused Approach, funded by the NSF HSI program. Papadopoulos is active in the Mechanics (former Chair), Ethics, and LEES Divisions of ASEE, and is the co-president of the UPRM Institutional Committee for General Education. He enjoys biking, swimming, cooking, and eliminating disposable plastic.

Papadopoulos endeavors to orient his research and teaching activities around advancing, peace, social equity, justice, and human wellbeing. In the words of Roberto Clemente, anytime when you have the opportunity to make a difference in the world, and you don’t do it, then you are wasting your time on earth.
Dr. William A Kitch P.E. http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1485-4344 Angelo State University [biography]

Dr. Kitch is Professor and Chair of the David L. Hirschfeld Department of Engineering at Angelo State University. Before starting his academic career he spent 24 years as a practicing engineer in both the public and private sector. He is a registered professional engineer.
Dr. Anna K. T. Howard http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0207-6757 North Carolina State University at Raleigh [biography]

Anna Howard is a Teaching Professor at NC State University in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering where she has led the course redesign effort for Engineering Statics. She received her Ph.D. from the Rotorcraft Center of Excellence at Penn State University and is one of the campus leaders of Wolfpack Engineering Unleashed. She has launched and is currently chairing the College Teaching Committee for the NC State College of Engineering.
Prof. Dominic J Dal Bello http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8002-3226 Allan Hancock College [biography]

Dom Dal Bello is Professor of Engineering at Allan Hancock College (AHC), a California community college between UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. At AHC, he is Department Chair of Mathematical Sciences, Faculty Advisor of MESA (the Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement Program), has served as Principal/Co-Principal Investigator of several National Science Foundation projects (S-STEM, LSAMP, IUSE). In ASEE, he is chair of the Two-Year College Division, and Vice-Chair/Community Colleges of the Pacific Southwest Section. He received the Outstanding Teaching Award for the ASEE/PSW Section in 2022.
Dr. Jean Carlos Batista Abreu http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5380-7682 Elizabethtown College [biography]

Jean Batista Abreu earned his Ph.D. and M.S.E. at the Johns Hopkins University, M.S. at the University of Puerto Rico, and B.S.E. with Honors at the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra, all in Civil Engineering. Prior to joining Elizabethtown College, he served as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Mechanical and Civil Engineering at Bucknell University, and worked as a Structural Engineer at Acero Estrella.
Dr. Julian Ly Davis http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4109-3904 University of Southern Indiana [biography]

Jul Davis is an Associate Professor of Engineering at the University of Southern Indiana in Evansville, Indiana. He received his PhD in 2007 from Virginia Tech in Engineering Mechanics where he studied the vestibular organs in the inner ear using finite element models and vibration analyses. After graduating, he spent a semester teaching at a local community college and then two years at University of Massachusetts (Amherst) studying the biomechanics of biting in bats and monkeys, also using finite element modeling techniques. In 2010, he started his career teaching in all areas of mechanical engineering at the University of Southern Indiana. He loves teaching all of the basic mechanics courses, and of course his Vibrations and Finite Element Analysis courses.
Prof. Eric Davishahl http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9506-2658 Whatcom Community College [biography]

Eric Davishahl serves as professor and engineering program coordinator at Whatcom Community College in northwest Washington state. His current project involves developing and piloting an integrated multidisciplinary learning community for first-year engineering. More general teaching and research interests include designing, implementing and assessing activities for first-year engineering, engineering mechanics, and scientific computing. Eric has been an active member of ASEE since 2001. He was the recipient of the 2008 Pacific Northwest Section Outstanding Teaching Award, chaired the PNW Section 2017-2019, served on the ASEE Board of Directors as Zone IV Chair 2022-2024. and currently serves as Program Chair for the Two-Year College Division.
Dr. Brian P. Self California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo [biography]

Brian Self obtained his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Engineering Mechanics from Virginia Tech, and his Ph.D. in Bioengineering from the University of Utah. He worked in the Air Force Research Laboratories before teaching at the U.S. Air Force Academy for sev
Dr. Milo Koretsky Tufts University [biography]

Milo Koretsky is the McDonnell Family Bridge Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and in the Department of Education at Tufts University. He received his B.S. and M.S. degrees from UC San Diego and his Ph.D. from UC Berkeley,

Note

The full paper will be available to logged in and registered conference attendees once the conference starts on June 22, 2025, and to all visitors after the conference ends on June 25, 2025

For those interested in:

Faculty
undergraduate