An Exploratory Pilot Study of Student Learning Experiences in Engineering Technology Courses Designed to Promote Creativity

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jen Katz-Buonincontro ◽  
Orin Davis ◽  
Abi Aghayere ◽  
Dave Rosen

We report on the findings from an exploratory pilot study using the experience-sampling method (ESM) and interviews to examine learning in two undergraduate engineering technology courses designed to promote creativity. Results of the ESM analysis showed that students’ positive experience decreased slightly in the first course and increased slightly in the latter course. Surprisingly, both instructors’ presence caused students to report lower levels of willingness to express a creative idea and feel like other students were really listening. Interviews revealed student perceptions about the importance of creativity as essential to the engineering industry and beliefs about being creative in the classroom during the stages of the design process, which relies heavily on group work. Discussion builds on these themes for facilitating creative classrooms emphasizing work with peers as an integral part of curricular and instructional design.

EDIS ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bryan D. Terry

Working together in groups can be a great experience or one filled with stress and anxiety. The success of group work depends largely on the trust developed among group members and the respect they show each other. When an individual has had a positive experience in a group, he/she is more likely to take risks, ask questions, and share ideas that will benefit the total group. This 3-page fact sheet was written by Bryan D. Terry, and published by the UF Department of Family Youth and Community Sciences, August 2013. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fy1378


Author(s):  
Max Ullrich ◽  
David S. Strong

How undergraduate engineering students define their success and plan for their future differs notably amongst students. With a push for greater diversity and inclusion in engineering schools, it is valuable to also better understand the differences in these areas among different students to allow institutions to better serve the needs of these diverse groups.  The purpose of this research study is to explore students’ definition of success both in the present and projecting forward 5 to 10 years, as well as to understand to what level students reflect on, and plan for, the future. The proposed survey instrument for the pilot stage of this research includes 56 closed-ended questions and 3 open-ended questions. Evidence for the validity of the research instrument is established through a mixed-method pilot study. This paper will discuss the survey instrument, the pilot study, and outline plans for the full study.


1995 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 207-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donna A. Henderson ◽  
William A. Poppen

1995 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 21-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janet K. Winter ◽  
Joan C. Neal

Understanding student perceptions of group work should help educators prepare students to be effective group members in the classroom and at work. This study ascer tained student perceptions of their learning and achievement in group situations. The following correlations were determined: (a) There was a relationship between student grades and perceptions of the writing quality as well as perceptions of the amount learned about group processes; (b) there was no correlation between grades and student opinions of the quantity of work achieved, the type of person who hindered the group the most, and whether the student enjoyed the group work.


Author(s):  
S. S. Dukhanov

The paper deals with the problems of standardized design in civil construction in the cities of Western Siberia during the architectural reform late in the 1950–60s and is based on archival sources.First, the development continuity of design and civil engineering industry was broken that time, thereby reducing to nothing the accumulated positive experience in standardized design and sharply limited the adaptation of design projects to regional conditions. Second, the methods of standardizing generated by the architectural reform were based on the universal factors and numerical criteria. That approach was aimed at centralizing the management of the design and construction industry, but did not take into account the leading regional factors and sharpened their adverse impact. It was impossible to develop projects on this basis that would meet local climatic and socio-economic conditions. Large local design organizations created during the architectural reform were forced to develop standardized projects for the conditions of Western Siberia, contrary to the main trends of the architectural reform. As a result, research and development played catch-up the civil construction and prolonged until the early 1970s.


Author(s):  
Tarek Shamma

This chapter discusses the results of a pilot study that explored the use of contests in translation pedagogy, proposing methods for designing classroom and extracurricular contests. Three translation contests (two in-class and one extracurricular) were conducted for undergraduate students at United Arab Emirates University. Student questionnaires were used to examine the potential role of contests in translator education and, in particular, the positive and negative effects of competition on students' motivation. The use of group work was also examined as a method of minimizing the potential negative effects of competition, as described in the literature. The study indicates that contests can be useful in stimulating student motivation, especially on the basic levels of education. On the other hand, it is suggested that, while group work is seen as effective and desirable by most students, there are caveats to be considered when planning and implementing this type of activity.


Author(s):  
Marc R. Robinson

Student perceptions of online courses are likely influenced by two overarching aspects of quality: instructor quality and course design quality (Ortiz-Rodriguez, Telg, Irani, Roberts & Rhoades, 2005). Both of these forces in online education may be analyzed using a well-known model of instructional design - Gagnés instructional design and cognition theory, the centerpiece of which are the nine events of instruction (Gagné, Wager, Golas, & Keller, 2004). Multiple studies positively correlate learner attitudes and perceptions of the online course to instructor quality. Early studies evaluating instructor quality attempted to correlate instructor quality with the attitude and perception of the learner, but not directly to learner success or course design quality. Researchers of online courses, such as Palloff & Pratt (2003), discussed the role of the instructor in depth while neglecting the roles of the learner, the institution, and course design. The main focus remained instructor-centered, and highlighted key instructor tasks such as understanding the virtual learner in terms of roles the learner plays, fostering team roles for the learner, designing an effective course orientation, and identifying potential legal issues the instructor might face (Palloff & Pratt, 2002, p. 16). A distant secondary focus was on effective course design. This highlighted instructor tasks in building an effective online learning community without highlighting the roles effective communication tools would play.


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