Problem Solving Along the Way

• In Event: Transfer for Learning Outside the Classroom: Informal Contexts to Examine STEM Learning Skills and Strategies

Abstract

Problem-solving as a higher order thinking skill plays a crucial role in stem-related lessons. Instead of measuring students’ problem-solving skills only via self-reported data based on outcomes, the development of learning analytical techniques enable educators and researchers to examine and evaluate students’ problem-solving abilities with enriched data sources and throughout its process.

We introduced 6th-grade science teachers an educational game called Alien Rescue, in this PBL environment, students play the role of young scientists to relocate six displaced alien species to suitable planets or moons in our solar system. Throughout this 15-hour curriculum unit on the solar system, all of the students’ gameplay data, as well as their worksheets, were collected to examine and evaluate their problem-solving trajectory.

The problem-solving process, according to Jonassen’s (1997) model, consists of four phases: (1) Problem representation; (2) Search for solutions; (3) Implement solutions; (4) Reflection. Within each phase, students will perform correspondent behaviors along the process to solving the problem, by interacting and solving the problem on an educational game, students’ gameplay log, or trace data will be captured by the program for educators to monitor and assess their performances. For instance, in phase I—problem representation, students were assessed on whether they had access to all the tools and features provided by the game since limited access to certain features will hinder their understanding of the problem and problem-solving progress. Whereas for phase II—search for solutions, students were assessed upon an emerge of a behavior pattern, that more usage revealed on essential tools which is beneficial for solving the problem than the non-essential tools. For phase III—implement solutions, students were assessed based on their usage data of the Notebook tool, this tool is designed specifically in assisting students to compare and match alien’s needs with the planet’s conditions. The assessment for Phase IV—reflection was evaluated upon students’ justification notes and solutions submitted in the game.

Preliminary results revealed students’ game-play patterns in phase I, students who didn’t access to all in-game tools in the first two sessions were detected. In phase II, students’ access frequencies and duration to essential tools were highly correlated with probe launching success rate and solution success rate. In phase III and IV, students’ gameplay data and qualitative writeup/presentation were combined and evaluated comprehensively to depict a thorough picture of their problem-solving process. Therefore, with the whole problem-solving process presented phase by phase, teachers would be able to evaluate, provide feedback or intervene based on correspondent problem-solving phases.

This study presented an alternative approach to evaluating students’ problem-solving skills by examining their behaviors across each phase through learning analytical techniques. Moreover, the teacher’s feedback also indicated that the assessment would be more rigorous under the adaptations of teachers’ and students’ teaching and learning styles such as using their classroom worksheets and notes.

Authors

• Zilong Pan, The University of Texas at Austin

• Min Liu, The University of Texas at Austin