Changing the Learning Environment in the College of Engineering and Applied Science Using Challenge Based Learning

Whitney Brooke Gaskins,Jeffrey Johnson,Anant Kukreti,Cathy Maltbie

doi:10.3991/ijep.v5i1.4138

Whitney Brooke Gaskins, Jeffrey Johnson + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3991/ijep.v5i1.4138

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Abstract

Over the past 20 years there have been many changes to the primary and secondary educational system that have impacted students, teachers, and post-secondary institutions across the United States of America. One of the most important is the large number of standardized tests students are required to take to show adequate performance in school. Students think differently because they are taught differently due to this focus on standardized testing, thus changing the skill sets students acquire in secondary school. This presents a critical problem for colleges and universities, as they now are using practices for and have expectations of these students that are unrealistic for the changing times. High dropout rates in the colleges of engineering have been attributed to the cultural atmosphere of the institution. Students have reported a low sense of belonging and low relatability to course material. To reduce negative experiences and increase motivation, Challenge Based Learning (CBL) was introduced in an undergraduate Basic Electric Circuits (BEC) course. CBL is a structured model for course content with a foundation in problem-based learning. CBL offers general concepts from which students derive the challenges they will address. Results show an improved classroom experience for students who were taught with CBL.

Highlights

Cincinnati Engineering Enhanced Math and Science Program (CEEMS) works to connect the students’ motivation to what they are learning with the use of Challenge Based Learning (CBL)
In the CEEMS program, teachers and graduate students are provided educational training, taught the CBL method, and how to use it to enhance student learning in secondary school math and science classrooms
The results showed that the students in the CBL method section had a slightly higher mean t than the students in the lecture method section; the difference was not statistically significant

Summary

Introduction

Cincinnati Engineering Enhanced Math and Science Program (CEEMS) works to connect the students’ motivation to what they are learning with the use of Challenge Based Learning (CBL). In the CEEMS program, teachers and graduate students are provided educational training, taught the CBL method, and how to use it to enhance student learning in secondary school math and science classrooms. It is believed that these changes have negatively affected student learning and motivation, which leads to high dropout rates [24]. The high dropout rates can be explained in part by the phenomenon of learned helplessness, which occurs when an animal is repeatedly subjected to an aversive stimulus that it cannot escape [43].

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