Research Initiation: Improving engineering mechanics self-efficacy by focusing on abstracting the physical world as a precursor to analysis.

研究启动：通过专注于抽象物理世界作为分析的先驱来提高工程力学的自我效能。

• 批准号: 2306156
• 负责人: Nigel Kaye
• 金额: $ 20万
• 依托单位: Clemson University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-07-01 至 2025-06-30
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2306156&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Research; Initiation; Improving; engineering; mechanics; Research; Initiation; Improving; engineering; mechanics

This project will improve the retention of engineering students in undergraduate programs by helping them make direct connections between their second-year mechanics classes and the real world in which they live and will work. Second-year mechanics classes are often one of the biggest reasons for students to leave engineering because of the abstract nature of typical course instruction. The team will develop a lab-based mechanics class where students interact with physical models of real-world engineered structures and learn how to abstract these physical objects into engineering models. Making this direct connection between the real world and abstract mechanics models will enable students to see the value of their studies and improve their motivation to continue in their chosen profession. Retaining more students in engineering, from a diversity of backgrounds, will help build the U.S. STEM workforce.The research team will develop a second-year mechanics class that flips the traditional approach by starting with the physical world application and building students’ ability to develop engineering models of physical systems, i.e., abstracting the physical world into mathematical/engineering models. The hypothesis of the proposed research is that, by starting with abstraction, students will build a stronger connection between the physical world and mechanics modeling. In turn, this will improve students’ perceptions about their ability to solve engineering mechanics problems and their future-oriented motivation to be engineers. The specific research questions we seek to answer are: (1) In what ways does teaching students how to abstract the physical world affect their self-efficacy in basic mechanics classes, and to what extent do students build direct connections between the physical world they live in with the mechanics models they will use in their studies? (2) In what ways does showing students how to abstract the physical world into tractable engineering science problems affect their future-oriented motivation, and to what extent do students make connections between what they are learning and the physical world they will work in upon graduation? The research team will publish the class materials online with open access, enabling instructors at other institutions to adopt the proposed pedagogical approach. This will include the model designs, class activities, assignments, and assessment tools. The research program will train the PI and graduate student in engineering education research and will increase the community of practitioner researchers.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

该项目将通过帮助他们在二年级的机械课程与他们的生活和将工作的现实世界之间建立直接联系，从而改善工程专业学生在本科课程中的保留。由于典型课程说明的抽象性质，二年级力学课程通常是学生离开工程学的最大原因之一。该团队将开发一个基于实验室的力学课程，学生与现实世界工程结构的物理模型进行互动，并学习如何将这些物理对象抽象为工程模型。建立现实世界和抽象力学模型之间的这种直接联系将使学生能够看到他们的学习价值，并提高他们继续从事自己的职业的动力。从各种背景中保留更多的工程学生，将有助于建立美国的STEM劳动力。研究团队将开发一个二年级的机械师课程，通过从物理世界的应用开始，并建立学生开发物理系统工程模型的能力，即将物理世界的工程模型（即将物理世界抽象为数学/工程模型）。拟议研究的假设是，从抽象开始，学生将在物理世界和力学建模之间建立更牢固的联系。反过来，这将提高学生对解决工程机制问题的能力以及他们成为工程师的未来动机的看法。我们寻求回答的具体研究问题是：（1）教学学生如何抽象物理世界如何影响他们在基本技工课程中的自我效能，学生在多大程度上建立了与他们在研究中使用的机械模型之间的直接联系？ （2）如何以什么方式向学生展示如何将物理世界抽象成可障碍的工程科学问题会影响他们未来的动机，以及学生在毕业时所学习的知识与将在毕业时工作的身体世界之间建立联系？研究团队将在线发布班级材料，以开放访问，使其他机构的讲师能够采用拟议的教学方法。这将包括模型设计，课堂活动，作业和评估工具。该研究计划将培训PI和工程教育研究的研究生，并将增加从业人员研究人员的社区。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并使用基金会的知识分子优点和更广泛的影响评估标准，被认为是珍贵的支持。