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Full-Text Articles in Education
Student Self-Efficacy In Introductory Project-Based Learning Courses, Geoffrey Pleiss, Madeline Perry, Yevgeniya Zastavker
Student Self-Efficacy In Introductory Project-Based Learning Courses, Geoffrey Pleiss, Madeline Perry, Yevgeniya Zastavker
Yevgeniya V. Zastavker
The purpose of this study is to determine how introductory Project-Based Learning (PjBL) courses affect the self-efficacy of first-year engineering students. Grounded theory is used to analyze twelve interviews with first-year students about their experiences in two PjBL courses, Engineering Design and Physics Laboratory. Data indicate that students' self-efficacy within each course is correlated with the extent to which their course goal perceptions align with those intended by faculty. In Engineering Design, students' recognition of the faculty's intended course goals corresponds to higher levels of self-efficacy. Conversely, in Physics Laboratory, students' low self-efficacy is correlated with a large gap between …
Work In Progress - A Provisional Competency Assessment System, Mark Somerville, Debbie Chachra, Jonathan Chambers, Ellen Cooney, Kristen Dorsey, John Geddes, Gill Pratt, Kathryn Rivard, Ann Schaffner, Lynn Stein, Jonathan Stolk, Stephen Westwood, Yevgeniya Zastavker
Work In Progress - A Provisional Competency Assessment System, Mark Somerville, Debbie Chachra, Jonathan Chambers, Ellen Cooney, Kristen Dorsey, John Geddes, Gill Pratt, Kathryn Rivard, Ann Schaffner, Lynn Stein, Jonathan Stolk, Stephen Westwood, Yevgeniya Zastavker
Yevgeniya V. Zastavker
Over the last two years Olin College has been defining and implementing a provisional system to develop and assess student competency levels. The system particularly emphasizes the importance of creating a community of practice that includes not only faculty but also staff and students. In this paper we provide an overview of the design process, and comment on the results of our first year of implementing the system.
'Kinetic Sculptures': A Centerpiece Project Integrated With Mathematics And Physics, Yevgeniya Zastavker, Jill Crisman, Mark Jeunnette, Burt Tilley
'Kinetic Sculptures': A Centerpiece Project Integrated With Mathematics And Physics, Yevgeniya Zastavker, Jill Crisman, Mark Jeunnette, Burt Tilley
Yevgeniya V. Zastavker
An integrated set of courses, or Integrated Course Block (ICB), developed for incoming first-year students at the Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering, is presented. Bound by a common theme of `Kinetic Sculptures', the individual courses in this ICB are mathematics (single variable calculus and ordinary differential equations), physics (kinetics and dynamics of linear and rotational motion, thermodynamics and fluids), and an open-ended engineering project. The project part of the ICB allows students to explore the motion through the design of kinetic (moving) sculptures while utilizing the mathematics and physics concepts learned in the accompanying courses. This paper considers the …
Faculty On Integrated Project-Based Learning, Yevgeniya Zastavker, Casey Canfield
Faculty On Integrated Project-Based Learning, Yevgeniya Zastavker, Casey Canfield
Yevgeniya V. Zastavker
This paper examines the experiences, perspectives, and concerns of faculty involved in implementing a first-year integrated project-based engineering curriculum as they attempt to understand and reconcile their own and students’ views, attitudes, and beliefs regarding project-based learning (PjBL). A semi-structured, open-ended interview protocol is employed with seven mathematics and physics faculty participants. Grounded theory is used to identify the following themes: divergence of faculty perceptions regarding the effectiveness of an integrated approach in teaching and learning, the value of projects, and conflicting student expectations.