An observational protocol to measure learning in a problem-based learning vibrations course

Abstract

We have incorporated problem-based learning into several courses in an undergraduate engineering curriculum, including dynamics and vibrations. Students' prior knowledge (both formal and informal) were assessed through concept inventories to determine what prior knowledge supported or impeded the acquisition of new content in these courses. A point-and-click classroom observation tool was developed and refined over the span of two consecutive academic semesters to capture the students' interactions as they engaged in authentic learning activities in engineering. We identified patterns of discourse and interactions among the students and instructor, and, in vibrations, we identified a gap in the curriculum from the pre-requisite course, differential equations. The concept inventories and revised observational protocol that we have developed will enable instructors to assess the quality of the prior knowledge that students bring into a course and to analyze the manner in which students and instructor engage around the course content. We are developing bridge curriculum to improve transference of the theoretical knowledge in differential equations and the applied skills in vibration. This project spans across the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and includes observations on the interventions (successful and unsuccessful) where we attempted to continue student learning through a disrupted environment.