WIP: Modifying in-Class Activities to Engage Engineering Students and Activate Learning

Contribution: This work in progress innovative practice paper describes an approach to implement Peter Liljedahl's classroom practices in a college first-year engineering course. Background: This course meets twice each week in a studio-style classroom. Liljedahl defines a thinking classroom as “a space that is inhabited by thinking individuals as well as individuals thinking collectively, learning together and constructing knowledge and understanding through activity and discussion” [1]. Thinking classrooms and in-class activities are also supported by Vygotsky's [2] Zone of Proximal Development theory and Bruner's [3] scaffolding methods. Original applications of Liljedahl's research are in secondary school mathematics courses, including the uses of visibly random groups and vertical non-permanent surfaces. Visibly random groups are temporary groups of students where the students can clearly see the random group assignment process [4]. This paper proposes a new style of in-class activities in this first-year engineering course and explains a research design procedure to test if this style improves students' achievement of learning objectives. Intended outcomes: My proposed in-class activity format involves groups of four engineering students working together to solve a problem while standing up and writing on a vertical surface with a nonpermanent writing tool. Additionally, this modified format in each class session seeks to provide students with incentive to complete in-class activities and feedback while completing them. Incentive can come from the “gamification” of in-class activities [5], leaderboards, team-oriented events, or adding more relevant background context. Feedback can be provided to students through implementing Learning Management System quizzes or MATLAB P-code in coding activities. Application design: This approach aims to improve student learning by providing students with a new, consistent format for in-class activities that is exciting, engaging, and team-oriented. Students in a control group or an experimental group will take pre- and post- tests before and after experiencing the traditional or modified in-class activities. Expected findings: I anticipate class sections that participate in the alternative in-class activity format will have significantly higher mastery levels than the traditional sections. The existing in-class activities are already aligned with course learning objectives, but encouraging students to complete them thoroughly with their group may help each student gain a better understanding of the content.