Design-based Learning Research Articles

Implementing a Practical, Bachelor's-Level Design-Based Learning Course To Improve Chemistry Students' Scientific Dissemination Skills.

This work presents an outline for a full-quartile design-based learning laboratory-based course suitable for final year Bachelor’s students. The course has been run for 5 years in the department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry. The course attempts to provide a complete laboratory experience for its students, including an authentic research project, experience in writing a research paper with realistic limitations of both space and time, and giving of a presentation appropriate for a scientific conference, finally culminating with a written exam, where the questions are based on the written reports and oral presentations of the other students, making the students also course “teachers”. This article will discuss both the successful aspects of the course and point out the areas that still need improvement and provides enough information as to allow the transfer of the methodology to other educational curricula.

Guest Editorial Special Issue on Using Enquiry- and Design-Based Learning to Spur Epistemological and Identity Development of Engineering Students

This Special Issue of the IEEE Transactions on Education focuses on using enquiry-based design projects to spur engineering students’ development, so as to increase understanding and application of the relevant theories, foster higher rates of student development and achieve this in healthy and productive ways.

Holistic Student Development Model for improving Employability of Engineering Graduates

The rapid expansion across sectors of global economy has changed the way we should educate and train our future engineering professionals. Upholding of the old standards by engineering institutions can not help much to improve the quality of engineers as well as impose difficulty in adapting to the rapidly changing global market. This paper addresses various holistic development models such as internships, self / online / blended / design-based learning through goal oriented activities, adopted worldwide and what we propose and implemented at TCET, the challenges we faced and the learning we developed. Embedding Diversity, Equity, and Excellence to the institute is critical. Further, stating future plans for the same which consists of self-efficacy beliefs, Intrinsic growth and Confidence in students. Major focus for over all development should be on work ethics, time management, team work and taking personal responsibility, conduct basic research, critical thinking skills and lack of interest in reading beyond curriculum. Through various tests and trials in order to develop engineering graduates on all front, it has been observed that beyond component learning cannot be imposed and different category of students are to be treated differentially to groom them. With that, positive feedback system helps student to understand his/her passion and identify the future scope in that domain. In all, online courses, project development and internships have shown acceptance by student community. The goal is to enhance personal, physical, emotional, and creative potential of students. They further appreciate hands on sessions and industry exposure through Industrial visits and Alumni Connect Programmes.

UNDERSTANDING VIETNAMESE PRESERVICE TEFL TEACHERS’ TPACK DEVELOPMENT WITH DESIGN-BASED LEARNING VIA REFLECTIVE LEARNING

The present study is aimed at understanding pre-service teachers’ Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) development with Design-based Learning (DBL) in a blended learning course on Technology-enhanced learning. Reflection was employed to probe the preservice teachers’ TPACK development and the complex interrelationship between the seven knowledge components. Through content analysis of the participants’ reflective journals and thematic analysis of their interviews, the findings revealed that there was certainly some evidence of growth in some of their TPACK components although content knowledge, technological content knowledge, and pedagogical content knowledge were still limited. Both Design-based Learning environment and the reflective tool have proven to be useful platforms for the preservice teachers to enhance their learning experiences of technology use, and their willingness and confidence to apply what they learned in their future teaching practice.

Teaching aspects of the interrelationship between science and technology: a research report on the design, enactment and evaluation of a teaching proposal

ABSTRACTBackground: Helping upper elementary and lower secondary school students develop an awareness of various aspects of the nature of science (NOS) and nature of technology (NOT) is a widely recognized goal of science teaching. In this study, we focus on the connections between science and technology (S&T).Purpose: We report on the design, development, enactment and evaluation of a teaching-learning sequence (TLS) that combines hands-on activities in geometrical optics with explicit epistemological discourse for reflection purposes. The design of the TLS draws on perspectives from the inquiry-oriented and design-based teaching and learning frameworks.Sample: The enactment of the TLS involved a class of 17 sixth-grade students, aged 10–11 years old, of a public elementary school in Cyprus.Design and methods: We present findings from written responses to both closed and open-ended tasks as well as follow-up semi-structured interviews that probed students’ understanding of the difference between the main goals of S&T.Results: The results illustrate elementary students’ readiness to engage with epistemic issues and demonstrate the potential of prompting young learners’ ability to develop informed awareness of the NOS and NOT. The results also provided feedback for the revision of the TLS so as to further enhance its effectiveness in achieving the stated learning objectives.Conclusion: We discuss the implications of our findings for the teaching of the NOS and NOT and for the design and validation of TLSs. It is possible for students of this age group to develop an awareness of issues related to the NOS and NOT. TLSs can be improved through design-based research approaches to serve as productive tools to this end.

Development and Implementation of Design-Based Learning Opportunities for Students To Apply Electrochemical Principles in a Designette

A hands-on design activity named electrochemistry designette that incorporates design thinking with the aims to strengthen electrochemistry concepts, introduce prototyping ideas, encourage student ...

Unpacking the Engineering Process: Resourcing Trade Books and Biographies

Interest in engineering education is growing, and libraries are often the hub of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning activities in schools and communities. To enhance patrons’ experiences, many libraries have incorporated making, maker, and tinkering spaces that support STEM learning and engineering thinking. Making, maker, and tinkering spaces generally include opportunities for patrons to have hands-on experiences with a variety of materials, technology resources, and design challenges that encourage thinking like an engineer. This type of thinking is “goal-oriented thinking that addresses problems and decisions within given constraints by drawing on available resources, both material resources and human capital.” Thinking like an engineer, making, and tinkering are all part of engineering design-based learning.

The Effect of Design Based Learning on Pre-service Science Teachers' Decision Making Skills

In this research, it is aimed to examine in depth the effect of design based learning (DBL) program on pre-service science teachers’ on development of the decision making skills and determine the opinions of pre-service science teachers regarding the effect of the DBL program on decision making skills. For this purpose, embedded integrated design of a mixed-methods approach was employed in this study. In the quantitative part, one-group pre-test and post-test experimental design was used. Multiple-case (embedded) design was used in the qualitative part. The study group for the quantitative part of the research is 36 pre-service science teachers determined by convenience sampling method. The qualitative study group are 6 pre-service science teachers determined by maximum variety sampling. The quantitative data of the study were collected via decision-making skills test. DBL activities worksheet and semi-structured interviews were used as qualitative data. Findings indicated that there was a significant difference between participants’ pre-test and post-test decision skills measures in favor of the post-tests. In this study, it was determined that the decision process related to the design challenge revealed from the real life situations were identification of the problem, evaluation of the alternatives, decision applications, decision and application steps.

Applying online competency-based learning and design-based learning to enhance the development of students’ skills in using PowerPoint and Word, self-directed learning readiness, and experience of online learning

Online learning has been widely adopted in higher education, because it can help both teachers and students to achieve educational goals through better accessibility, flexibility, and interaction. As the Internet and educational technologies have evolved, however, educators indicate that online education and the related technology is more than just a technical consideration; thus, online educators and scholars should address the pedagogical perspectives of online learning. Therefore, this study attempts to provide an effective online teaching method and to investigate the effects of online competency-based learning (CBL) and design-based learning (DBL) on enhancing students’ learning performance, self-directed learning readiness (SDLR), and experience of online learning in an online computing course. The experimental design in this study involved a 2 (CBL vs. non-CBL) × 2 (DBL vs. non-DBL) factorial pretest/posttest design. Four classes in a course titled “Applied Information Technology: Office Software” were chosen for this research. Students involved in this experiment were from non-computer field departments at a comprehensive university. Based on the analysis carried out in this research, students who received the intervention with online DBL showed significantly better skills in using PowerPoint. However, learners who received the intervention with online CBL and/or DBL did not have significantly better SDLR or experience of online learning. The potential reasons for this insignificance in students’ SDLR and experience of online learning as well as their implications are reported in this paper.

Choreography as Design

ABSTRACT Design-based learning is often promoted as a way for students to practice the skills essential for their future success; however, little research in this area has been conducted in the field of dance. One aim of this research is to contribute to the literature by examining the process through which undergraduate students from multiple disciplines come together to solve an innovative design challenge within a choreography course. The major assignment required students to express an issue of concern in their discipline, life, or worldwide through the synthesis of dance, music, visuals, text, and technology into three- to four-minute digital choreography. The researchers conducted qualitative data analysis of artifacts, and in-class discussions of the final presentations. The goal was to determine the extent to which students utilized the design process in their work and to identify ways to enhance the course implementation for future iterations.

Taking Professional Development From 2D to 3D: Design-Based Learning, 2D Modeling, and 3D Fabrication for Authentic Standards-Aligned Lesson Plans.

There is currently significant interest in 3D fabrication in middle school classrooms. At its best 3D printing can be utilized in authentic design projects that integrate math, science, and technology, which facilitate deep learning by students. In essence, students are able to tinker in a virtual world using 3D design software and then tinker in the real world using printed parts. We describe a professional development activity we designed to enable middle school teachers who had taken part in a three-year Math Science Partnership program to authentically integrate 3D printing into design-based lessons. We include some examples of successful design-based lesson plans.

SPSE — a model of engineering multimedia learning and training

Engineering learning has long been a topic of attention. The traditional engineering learning mode has its own rationality, which is not without merit. The PBL (Problem-Based Learning) model provides new ideas of engineering learning, yet it lacks the “design” elements, seldom takes into consideration the social attribute of engineering, and falls short of clear support to guide learners in problem-solving. This paper analyzes the properties and characteristics of various types of engineering learning modes, based on which the engineering learning is divided into 4 key nodes. Besides, it proposes a design-based scaffold-type engineering learning model — SPSE (Scenario Prototype Scheme Evaluating), and explains SPSE from dimensions of engineering process, design and innovation. In order to improve the efficiency of SPSE engineering learning and training, a management platform software based on WEB and multimedia technology is designed. On the one hand, this software supports the communication and discussion between students and teachers. On the other hand, it supports the teacher to the student learning process monitoring and management. Finally, a successful case of SPSE teaching practice is used to further verify the rationality and effectiveness of engineering learning based on SPSE. Finally, a successful case of SPSE teaching practice is used to further verify the rationality and effectiveness of engineering learning based on SPSE.

How to learn and how to teach computational thinking: Suggestions based on a review of the literature

Computational Thinking (CT) is seen as an important competence that is required in order to adapt to the future. However, educators, especially K-12 teachers and researchers, have not clearly identified how to teach it. In this study, a meta-review of the studies published in academic journals from 2006 to 2017 was conducted to analyze application courses, adopted learning strategies, participants, teaching tools, programming languages, and course categories of CT education. From the review results, it was found that the promotion of CT in education has made great progress in the last decade. In addition to the increasing number of CT studies in different countries, the subjects, research issues, and teaching tools have also become more diverse in recent years. It was also found that CT has mainly been applied to the activities of program design and computer science, while some studies are related to other subjects. Meanwhile, most of the studies adopted Project-Based Learning, Problem-Based Learning, Cooperative Learning, and Game-based Learning in the CT activities. In other words, such activities as aesthetic experience, design-based learning, and storytelling have been relatively less frequently adopted. Most of the studies focused on programming skills training and mathematical computing, while some adopted a cross-domain teaching mode to enable students to manage and analyze materials of various domains by computing. In addition, since the cognitive ability of students of different ages varies, the CT ability cultivation methods and content criteria should vary accordingly. Moreover, most studies reported the learners' CT performance and perspectives, while their information society ability was seldom trained. Accordingly, the research trends and potential research issues of CT are proposed as a reference for researchers, instructors, and policy makers.

Children’s Negotiations of Visualization Skills During a Design-Based Learning Experience Using Nondigital and Digital Techniques

Children’s Negotiations of Visualization Skills During a Design-Based Learning Experience Using Nondigital and Digital Techniques

Analysing learning designs of 'learning through practice' as Networked Learning

Our aim in this paper is to analyse a set of well-known pedagogical approaches based on 'learning through practice' by viewing them as forms of networked learning. Following earlier work by the second author, we understand networked learning as learners' connecting of contexts in which they participate and as their resituation of knowledge, perspectives, and ways of acting across these contexts (Dohn, 2014). Learning designs of 'learning through practice' are distinguished by engaging practices outside the formal educational system as ways of developing curricular understanding and, reciprocally, as providing grounds for concretisation of curricular content through its enactment in practice. By viewing these learning designs as networked learning we highlight their potential for supporting certain connection forms between learners' experiences in target practice and educational practice. In particular, we look at the learning designs of 1) case-based learning, 2) design-based learning, and 3) simulation-based learning. We understand a learning design in accordance with Mor, Mellar, Warburton, & Winters (2014) as an educational pattern that supports specific actions in typical situations and, in compact form, collects the central part of a practice that can be communicated to others (2014). We understand a learning design to have four primary dimensions: 1) purpose, 2) content, 3) methods, and 4) underlying learning-theoretical basis. The four dimensions reflect basic functions of an educational practice: its purpose (its why), its content (its what), its method (its how), and its theoretical basis (its reason for the why, what and how). We argue that case-based learning establishes a relationship of inquiry between learner and target practice with the aim to support the learners in gaining understanding through participating in a sense-making process. The relationship established in design-based learning is one of innovation with the aim to support learners in developing understanding of practice through changing it. Finally, in simulation-based learning, relationships of imitation of target practice and engagement in ‘as-if’ practice are established with the aim of supporting learners in developing situated skills and knowledge.

Integrated STEM Education: A Systematic Review of Instructional Practices in Secondary Education

The shortage of graduates in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), has led to numerous attempts to increase students’ interest in STEM. One emerging approach that has the potential to improve students’ motivation for STEM is integrated STEM education. Nonetheless, the implementation of this new instructional strategy is not straightforward due to the lack of consensus about instructional practices in integrated STEM. This paper contributes to this challenge by providing a well-defined framework for instructional practices in integrated STEM in secondary education, based on the results of a systematic review of existing literature. The framework contains five key principles: integration of STEM content, problem-centered learning, inquiry-based learning, design-based learning and cooperative learning. The proposed framework has several benefits, including its applicability in the classroom and the possibility to describe integrated STEM on multiple dimensions. Nonetheless, further research is necessary to investigate the effects of integrated STEM on students’ cognitive and affective learning outcomes.

Influence of Critical Thinking on Creativity When Using Mobile Devices for Learning

Learning using 1:1 mobile devices is a partnership between the user and the curriculum, where learning interventions are strategically integrated to foster critical thinking skills for effective problem solving. The purpose of this research study is to explore the question. How can 1:1 mobile technology be used to develop critical thinking skills and support creativity? The skill of problem solving is evidence of applied critical thinking during targeted learning. The literature review and focus group results, contextualise and aim to demonstrate how learners are using 1:1 mobile devices to develop critical thinking skills to achieve problem solving outcomes. Engineering courses that are using problem orientated design-based learning and are allowing students to use 1:1 mobile devices, need to support students by including targeted learning interventions. Learning interventions using active learning (self-directed learning) principles that are designed to teach critical thinking skills to achieve higher order problem solving outcomes for ‘real world’ solutions. Focus group results are included in this research study to highlight students’ perceptions when using 1:1 mobile devices for learning as evidence of applied critical thinking skills.

Design, implementation and evaluation of MOOCs and DBL‐based cross‐registration

AbstractTo overcome geographical restrictions of the cross‐registration, this study uses MOOCs and DBL as the learning approach to presents an implementation process of cross‐registration in the course of Machinery Design. Cross‐registration contains three steps: Pre‐Registration, Learning Process, and Credit Certification. According to the characteristics of cross‐registration, Learning process was realized through the mode which consists of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) learning, traditional classroom and Design Based Learning (DBL). Project progression of DBL was elaborated, demonstrated and had been applied in cross‐registration. This work aims at analyzing and reporting whether this MOOCs and DBL‐based cross‐registration has effects on a case study in Machinery Design Course. Students’ performance and learning behaviors are analyzed in this article. The results indicate that the MOOCs‐based cross‐registration is practicable, Learning Process has positive influence on students' performance. Recommendations for future work and implications for practice will also be discussed.

Engineering design-based learning in integrative STEM education

The issue of integrative STEM education is a global one. Great efforts have been made recently to achieve an inclusion of the four areas – science, technology, engineering and mathematics on equal basis in a functioning whole. Science learning through engineering design is presented in this article as an aspect of theoretical integrative frameworks. An example of methodology of lesson’ planning based on some characteristic of the engineering design process is also given.

Teaching strategies to promote concept learning by design challenges

Background: This study is the second study of a design-based research, organised around four studies, that aims to improve student learning, teaching skills and teacher training concerning the design-based learning approach called Learning by Design (LBD).Purpose: LBD uses the context of design challenges to learn, among other things, science. Previous research shows that this approach to subject integration is quite successful but provides little profit on (scientific) concept learning. For this, a lack of (knowledge of) proper teaching strategies is suggested as an important reason. This study explores these strategies and more specific the interaction with concept learning.Sample: Six Dutch first-year bachelor’s degree science student teachers, between the ages of 16 and 18, and two science teacher trainers (principal investigators included) were involved.Design and methods: A mixed methods study was used to study LBD’s teaching practice in depth. Based on a theoretical framework of (concept) learning-related teaching strategies video recordings of a guided LBD challenge were analysed to unravel teacher handling in detail. Complemented by questionnaire and interview data and students’ learning outcomes (pre- and post-exam) the effectiveness of teaching strategies was established and shortcomings were distracted.Results: Students reached medium overall learning gains where the highest gains were strongly task-related. Teacher handling was dominated by providing feedback and stimulating collaboration and only 13% of all teacher interventions concerned direct explication of underlying science. And especially these explicit teaching strategies were highly appreciated by students to learn about science.Conclusions: In accordance with insights about knowledge transfer, LBD needs to be enriched with explicit teaching strategies, interludes according to poor-related science content important for cohesive understanding and de- and recontextualisation of concepts for deeper understanding.