Most students struggle when faced with complex and open-ended tasks because the strategies taught in schools and universities simply require finding and applying the correct formulae or strategy to answer well-structured, algorithmic problems. Over the past several years I have been working with colleagues on pedagogies how to develop students' ability to solve ill-structured problems.

We use an online portal (Problem-Solving Learning Portal PSLP) within which students solve complex problems. The portal presents students with a multi-faceted problem that requires the use of more than one concept for its solution. The portal also provides students with information, facts, figures, etc. connected to the problem. Some of this information is relevant, some not. Students are provided some structure in their work because they are required to submit a qualitative analysis, a list of cross-checks, and a list of concepts that they used to solve the problem. PSLP is currently being used by 1400 students per year at ISU in courses ranging from horticulture, physiology, physics, teacher education, and industrial engineering.

We have learnt several key aspects of how students solve problems:
  • As the semester progresses students become more selective — requesting facts later in the problem-solving session and requesting less irrelevant information. As the semester progresses, students submit their qualitative analysis of the problem earlier in the class session, suggesting that this task moves from being one to complete solely to satisfy the requirements, to a task that helps students solve the problem. (manuscript submitted for publication)
  • Students’ beliefs about physics problem-solving change over the course of a semester working on these problems. The frequency of strategies such as the Rolodex method reduces only slightly by the end of the semester. However, there is an increase in students describing more expansive strategies within their reflections.  In particular there is a large increase in describing the use of diagrams, and thinking about concepts first. (manuscript submitted for publication)
In other education research, I helped redesign lecture-theater Room 3 at ISU to have two rows of seats per vertical tier where the front seats could swivel. The seats enable students to turn and have face-to-face discussions with their peers about conceptual questions during lecture. I then analyzed student conceptual understanding depending on whether they attended lectures in the swivel-seat theater or a traditional theater. Both high- and low-performing students benefited from the swivel-seat discussions, with potentially a larger benefit for stronger students. (published manuscript)

Contact me if you are interested in working on these projects either as an undergraduate or graduate student.
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