Connected epistemic practices in laboratory‐based engineering design projects for large‐course instruction

Bibliographic Data

ID21392618
AuthorsMilo Koretsky (0000-0002-6887-4527, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering Tufts University Medford Massachusetts USA, corresponding author), Erick J Nefcy (School of Chemical, Biological, and Environmental Engineering Oregon State University Corvallis Oregon USA), Erick Nefcy (Oregon State University), Susan Bobbitt Nolen (0000-0003-2240-4447, University of Washington), Susan Bobbit Nolen (College of Education University of Washington Seattle Washington USA), Audrey B Champagne (School of Education SUNY at Albany Albany New York USA)
Year2023
Volume107
Issue2
Pages510-550
Publication date2023-03-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueScience Education (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0036-8326 • E-ISSN: 1098-237X
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/sce.21769
OpenAlexW4297475649
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited97

In both K‐12 and university settings, instructors and curriculum developers need to create learning experiences that provide students opportunities to engage in the disciplinary practices of science and engineering. However, instructional contexts pose challenges in developing such tasks. Using a framework focusing on conceptual and material epistemic practices and tools, we used a within‐subjects comparison to explore two different types of task designs, given realistic constraints posed by a large‐enrollment university engineering laboratory course. We investigated students’ modeling and experimental activity at scale using an innovative data analysis tool, Model Maps, looking for evidence of epistemic practices in student laboratory notebooks and in their post‐project presentations. We compared inscriptions of 29 teams across three laboratory projects and found a greater number and diversity of model components in a virtual laboratory project than in two physical laboratory projects. While fitting into the same instructional “space,” the virtual laboratory task, compared to the physical tasks, better afforded iteration. The iterative development engaged students in two important features of engineering epistemic practice. First, teams had the opportunity to engage in interlocking conceptual and material practices. Second the need to reconcile experimental data with their process models elicited the authorship of free moves together with the accountability of forced moves. Implications for designing instruction to incorporate epistemic practices in engineering and science education are described

Curriculum · Discipline · Engineering education · Engineering ethics · Engineering management · Mathematics education · Next Generation Science Standards · Pedagogy · Process (computing) · Science education · Sociology · Systems engineering · Task (project management) · Computer Science · Educational Strategies and Epistemologies · Engineering · Innovative Teaching and Learning Methods · Psychology · Science Education and Pedagogy