Evaluation of Transfer of Learning in a Pre-College Engineering Short Course (Evaluation)

Jose Capa Salinas; Manuel Salmeron; Gaurav Chobe; Herta Montoya; Morgan R Broberg

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Conference: 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Portland, Oregon
Publication Date: June 23, 2024
Start Date: June 23, 2024
End Date: July 12, 2024
Conference Session: Springfield's STEM Spectacle: Evaluating Engineering Excellence, D'oh!
Tagged Division: Pre-College Engineering Education Division (PCEE)
Permanent URL: https://strategy.asee.org/47364

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Paper Authors

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Jose Capa Salinas Purdue University orcid.org/0000-0002-0929-7192

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Jose Capa Salinas is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Lyles School of Civil Engineering at Purdue University. He did his undergraduate degree at Universidad Tecnica Particular de Loja. His research interests include structural health monitoring, infrastructure inspection, drone applications, the behavior of steel and concrete structures, the effect of natural hazards in infrastructure, machine learning in engineering, student success, and difficult concepts in engineering. He is a member of the TRB Standing Committee on Seismic Design and Performance of Bridges and holds a Remote Pilot UAS license.

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Manuel Salmeron Purdue University

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Manuel Salmerón is currently a 4th year PhD student in Structural Engineering at Purdue University, under the supervision of Prof. Shirley J. Dyke. He received a B.S. in Civil Engineering and a M.Sc. in Structural Engineering at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). His research interests include cyber-physical testing, stochastic modeling of degradation phenomena, and the development of decision-making tools for socio-technical systems.

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Gaurav Chobe Purdue University

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Gaurav Chobe is a Ph.D. student in Civil Engineering at Purdue University. His research interest include anchorages in concrete construction, retrofitting and rehabilitation of structures.

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Herta Montoya Purdue University at West Lafayette (COE)

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Herta Montoya is a Ph.D. candidate in the Lyles School of Civil Engineering at Purdue University. Her research interests include intelligent system design and management, cyber-physical testing of complex systems, and system resilience.

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Morgan R Broberg Purdue University at West Lafayette (COE) orcid.org/0000-0003-2406-8117

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Dr. Morgan Broberg is a Research Engineer at the Purdue Applied Research Institute (PARI). She received a Ph.D in Civil Engineering from Purdue University and a B.S. in Engineering from LeTourneau University. Her research interests include modeling, analysis, and design of steel, concrete, and hybrid structural systems as well as effective teaching in civil engineering.

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Abstract

Engineering classrooms aim to prepare students to tackle multidisciplinary problems. It is impossible and impractical for instructors to cover every variant of a problem. Instead, instructors emphasize preparing students to address scenarios beyond those explicitly taught, bringing the concept of “transfer of learning” to the classroom. This education theory involves students applying previously acquired information, strategies, and skills to unfamiliar contexts. Since the turn of the century, extensive educational research and industry training-oriented efforts have worked on developing mechanisms to assess this transfer. However, many existing assessment methods are proprietary or very tailored to specific training applications. In this study, the authors adapt the Factors for the Evaluation of Transfer (FET) model [1] to evaluate the effectiveness of transfer of learning in a pre-college engineering short course. This model considers the transfer of learning through dimensions (trainee, training, and organization), achieved learning, and intent to transfer. The instructors implemented curricula emphasizing civil engineering applications related to buildings, water systems, infrastructure resilience, human comfort, and energy balance. For the course final project, students proposed solutions to build a lunar infrastructure habitat, requiring them to extrapolate from terrestrial designs discussed in the classroom to extraterrestrial contexts. Instructors enhanced the course material with transfer techniques such as analogy-driven learning, real-world problem-solving exercises, and facilitated discussions of lunar design challenges. The FET model was embedded in the pre-course, post-course, and feedback surveys. The authors found evidence of successful transfer from these artifacts, suggesting that the pedagogy and curricula implemented were effective at promoting transfer of learning. Furthermore, anecdotal instructor observations indicated that students effectively applied the acquired knowledge from the course to novel contexts. Future iterations of this course will focus on improving pedagogical approaches to teaching for a successful transfer, embedding the FET model in daily assignments to track transfer progress formally, and implicitly encouraging collaboration between groups.

Citation
Format

Capa Salinas, J., & Salmeron, M., & Chobe, G., & Montoya, H., & Broberg, M. R. (2024, June), Evaluation of Transfer of Learning in a Pre-College Engineering Short Course (Evaluation) Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. https://strategy.asee.org/47364

TY - CPAPER
AB - Engineering classrooms aim to prepare students to tackle multidisciplinary problems. It is impossible and impractical for instructors to cover every variant of a problem. Instead, instructors emphasize preparing students to address scenarios beyond those explicitly taught, bringing the concept of “transfer of learning” to the classroom. This education theory involves students applying previously acquired information, strategies, and skills to unfamiliar contexts. Since the turn of the century, extensive educational research and industry training-oriented efforts have worked on developing mechanisms to assess this transfer. However, many existing assessment methods are proprietary or very tailored to specific training applications. In this study, the authors adapt the Factors for the Evaluation of Transfer (FET) model [1] to evaluate the effectiveness of transfer of learning in a pre-college engineering short course. This model considers the transfer of learning through dimensions (trainee, training, and organization), achieved learning, and intent to transfer. The instructors implemented curricula emphasizing civil engineering applications related to buildings, water systems, infrastructure resilience, human comfort, and energy balance. For the course final project, students proposed solutions to build a lunar infrastructure habitat, requiring them to extrapolate from terrestrial designs discussed in the classroom to extraterrestrial contexts. Instructors enhanced the course material with transfer techniques such as analogy-driven learning, real-world problem-solving exercises, and facilitated discussions of lunar design challenges. The FET model was embedded in the pre-course, post-course, and feedback surveys. The authors found evidence of successful transfer from these artifacts, suggesting that the pedagogy and curricula implemented were effective at promoting transfer of learning. Furthermore, anecdotal instructor observations indicated that students effectively applied the acquired knowledge from the course to novel contexts. Future iterations of this course will focus on improving pedagogical approaches to teaching for a successful transfer, embedding the FET model in daily assignments to track transfer progress formally, and implicitly encouraging collaboration between groups.
AU - Jose Capa Salinas
AU - Manuel Salmeron
AU - Gaurav Chobe
AU - Herta Montoya
AU - Morgan R Broberg
CY - Portland, Oregon
DA - 2024/06/23
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Evaluation of Transfer of Learning in a Pre-College Engineering Short Course (Evaluation)
UR - https://strategy.asee.org/47364
ER -