(589d) Problem Solving When Using Student-Written Problems That Reverse-Engineer Youtube Videos

Problem solving is a desired skill for engineers in the 21st century. In order to promote problem solving amongst undergraduate students and address some issues related to solution manuals, our current study utilized YouTube problems created by previous students by reverse engineering YouTube videos as an alternative to traditional textbook problems. This study replaces traditional textbook problems with YouTube problems and uses a quasi-experimental, treatment/control group design. One focus is to examine the rigor of problem types, and another task is to monitor students’ problem-solving when solving textbook and YouTube problems. Data were collected and evaluated using multiple measurement instruments. First, the rigor of problems was examined using the NASA Task Load Index – a 6 question, self-reported survey. Problem solving was assessed using a previously-developed rubric called PROCESS modified to measure: Problem definition, problem Representation, Organization of information, Calculations, solution completion, and Solution accuracy in material and energy balances. The treatment group completed ten textbook problems and nine YouTube problems, while the control group only completed the textbook problems. Results indicate that the rigor of student-written YouTube problems was nearly identical to textbook problems for the same course concepts. While the control group obtained higher PROCESS scores at the beginning of the study, both groups exhibited similar problem-solving skills near the end. Further analysis quantified improvement in problem solving within the treatment group.