Evaluating the Development of Higher Order Thinking with an Environmental Engineering Build Project

Mackenzie Booth; David Brian Dittenber

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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: Environmental Engineering Division (ENVIRON) Technical Session 4 - Engineering for One Planet & Sustainability Innovation
Tagged Division: Environmental Engineering Division (ENVIRON)
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/47348

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Paper Authors

biography

Mackenzie Booth Cedarville University

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Mackenzie Booth is an assistant professor of civil engineering at Cedarville University, where she has served since 2020. Prior to joining the faculty at Cedarville, Mackenzie completed a Master of Science degree in Environmental Engineering at Purdue University. She completed her undergraduate studies at LeTourneau University. Mackenzie believes environmental engineers are tasked with stewarding the world’s natural resources in sustainable ways, glorifying God, and advancing human and ecosystem health. She considers civil and environmental engineering as a space for Christians to meet the physical needs of our neighbors while showing Christ to the world.

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David Brian Dittenber P.E. Cedarville University

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David Dittenber is an associate professor of civil engineering at Cedarville University, where he has served since 2020. Prior to joining the faculty at Cedarville, David taught at his alma mater, LeTourneau University, for seven years, serving as an associate professor and chair of civil and environmental engineering. He completed his master’s and doctoral graduate studies in civil engineering at West Virginia University. David believes that being a Christian and a civil engineer is an exciting pairing, as civil engineers get an opportunity to participate in God’s redemptive work on the earth and serve people by helping provide them with safe solutions to their most fundamental needs.

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Abstract

Studies have shown that hands-on, problem-based learning can increase student engagement and reinforce content learned in class. However, these activities are difficult and time consuming, and instructors must make difficult decisions about which activities are the best use of the time available in any given semester. Building a better understanding of how these hands-on activities improve students’ learning of the subject matter will allow instructors to make better-informed decisions about how to value and structure major build projects in future courses. For three years, the PI has developed an environmental engineering project to integrate technical in-class content, hands-on building experience, and teamwork. Groups of 3-5 students have 6 weeks to produce a pallet-sized water treatment plant run by gravity and built with low-cost resources that can meet a set of final water quality goals. A series of related laboratory exercises precede the project and equip the students with the knowledge necessary to analyze and design their water treatment systems. Informal feedback collected in the previous years demonstrated that students considered this project to be a source of some of their most significant learning in the course. The purpose of the proposed study is to evaluate the impact of problem-based learning on the development of higher order cognitive skills (i.e., analysis, evaluation, synthesis) for water treatment design. This study is being conducted during the Fall 2023 semester in a junior-level Environmental Engineering class. While the project is required for all students in the course, student participation in this study is optional. Quantitative assessment tools consisting of a series of quiz questions targeting higher order cognitive skills will be conducted with study participants at two points in the course: once after concepts have been introduced only through theory in the classroom and once after the project work has been completed. Brief interview assessments with a random sampling of participants will also be administered at the end of the project in order to collect qualitative data to produce a mixed-methods study. It is anticipated that the data will indicate that students attain their lower order cognitive skills through the in-class lectures and assignments, while the practical experience of completing the project will be largely responsible for higher order cognitive gains. Additional results may also show students’ development of a greater understanding of the design process and teamwork, as well as increased interest and motivation related to the subjects of the class. The results from this study may be useful for justifying the value of undertaking such projects in an environmental engineering course through their ability to help students achieve higher order cognitive skills, as well as identifying ways that learning gains could be maximized in future variations of the project.

Citation
Format

Booth, M., & Dittenber, D. B. (2024, June), Evaluating the Development of Higher Order Thinking with an Environmental Engineering Build Project Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. https://peer.asee.org/47348

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - Studies have shown that hands-on, problem-based learning can increase student engagement and reinforce content learned in class. However, these activities are difficult and time consuming, and instructors must make difficult decisions about which activities are the best use of the time available in any given semester. Building a better understanding of how these hands-on activities improve students’ learning of the subject matter will allow instructors to make better-informed decisions about how to value and structure major build projects in future courses.
For three years, the PI has developed an environmental engineering project to integrate technical in-class content, hands-on building experience, and teamwork. Groups of 3-5 students have 6 weeks to produce a pallet-sized water treatment plant run by gravity and built with low-cost resources that can meet a set of final water quality goals. A series of related laboratory exercises precede the project and equip the students with the knowledge necessary to analyze and design their water treatment systems. Informal feedback collected in the previous years demonstrated that students considered this project to be a source of some of their most significant learning in the course.
The purpose of the proposed study is to evaluate the impact of problem-based learning on the development of higher order cognitive skills (i.e., analysis, evaluation, synthesis) for water treatment design. This study is being conducted during the Fall 2023 semester in a junior-level Environmental Engineering class. While the project is required for all students in the course, student participation in this study is optional. Quantitative assessment tools consisting of a series of quiz questions targeting higher order cognitive skills will be conducted with study participants at two points in the course: once after concepts have been introduced only through theory in the classroom and once after the project work has been completed. Brief interview assessments with a random sampling of participants will also be administered at the end of the project in order to collect qualitative data to produce a mixed-methods study. It is anticipated that the data will indicate that students attain their lower order cognitive skills through the in-class lectures and assignments, while the practical experience of completing the project will be largely responsible for higher order cognitive gains. Additional results may also show students’ development of a greater understanding of the design process and teamwork, as well as increased interest and motivation related to the subjects of the class. The results from this study may be useful for justifying the value of undertaking such projects in an environmental engineering course through their ability to help students achieve higher order cognitive skills, as well as identifying ways that learning gains could be maximized in future variations of the project.
AU  - Mackenzie Booth
AU  - David Brian Dittenber P.E.
CY  - Portland, Oregon
DA  - 2024/06/23
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Evaluating the Development of Higher Order Thinking with an Environmental Engineering Build Project
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/47348
ER  -