(457g) Theory, Design, and Early Implementation Results of a Multi-Tiered, Scaffolded Writing Pedagogy

As undergraduate engineering students graduate and advance in their careers, they are faced with multiple tasks that require them to write extensively, whether that be in industry or graduate school. Because of the insufficient writing requirements in undergraduate engineering curricula, many engineers are unprepared for the writing-demand necessary to convey their own ideas or understanding of ideas. More rigorous writing practices would not only improve effective communication skills as undergraduate students pursue their education, but this can also help students develop a deeper conceptual foundation of engineering topics. The writing pedagogy of interest follows a scaffolded approach and was implemented alongside a current hands-on learning pedagogy in a 46-student, junior-level fluid mechanics class (CHE 332) at Washington State University. Students began by taking a pre-test with a descriptive paragraph of the technical phenomena occurring in a Venturi meter; certain phrases of the paragraph were designated as having two options, where they had to choose the correct phrase. Students then used the Venturi hands-on learning device, followed by a posttest. In the posttest, the sections that were previously presented in the form of two options were changed to blanks, where students were required to write their own comprehensible phrases. The results of this implementation were compared to a previous semester when the scaffolded writing pedagogy was not used, with that cohort of students acting as the control group. From pre- to posttest, it was found that the experimental group performed significantly better than the control group with 99% confidence and a medium effect size, based on ranges for partial eta squared. These initial steps are intended to help students learn how to discuss engineering concepts, leading them to properly write full paragraphs on their own on the final exam in early-May. The results of the final exam will be included in the presentation.