The Rational Heart of Engineering: Influences of Passive and Active Instruction on Students' Engagement

• In Event: 30.031 - Learning, Cognition, and Motivation in Postsecondary Engineering and Computer Science

Abstract

This proposal will begin to explore physiological responses, particularly electrodermal activity (EDA), during two forms of instruction in an engineering course to explore emotional engagement by students. Academic emotions, assessed via self-reports, as well as EDA were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Passive and active instructional techniques were compared side by side against students' responses. When comparing type of learning activities with electrodermal responsiveness, differences in engagement were found. Consistently, active learning activities showed greater engagement than passive learning. Further work will expand studies on the differential effects of passive and active learning in a larger population of engineering students.

Authors

• Brett D. Campbell, Utah State Board of Education

• Suzanne H. Jones, Utah State University

• Idalis Villanueva, Utah State University