Reducing Students' Conceptual Misunderstanding in Engineering Dynamics Through Enhanced Hands-on Experimentation

Conceptual understanding is critical for students' learning of many subject matters in science and engineering. This paper describes an educational intervention called enhanced hands-on experimentation (EHE). The goal is to reduce students' conceptual misunderstanding in engineering dynamics, a foundational second-year course that undergraduates in many engineering programs are required to take. Two case studies were conducted to compare the effectiveness of EHE in reducing students' conceptual misunderstanding with that of traditional textbook instruction (TTI). Pre- and post-tests were administered on EHE and TTI student groups in both case studies. A think-aloud approach was employed to collect qualitative verbal data generated by 48 students with 1,248 student responses. By quantifying qualitative verbal data collected, enhanced hands-on experimentation was found to be more effective than traditional textbook instruction in reducing students' conceptual misunderstanding in engineering dynamics.