Active Learning and Student Performance in a Material and Energy Balances Course

Authors

  • Delaina Amos University of Louisville, J B Speed School of Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Louisville, KY 40292
  • Caroline Pittard University of Louisville, College of Education & Human Development, Department of Counseling & Human Development, Louisville, KY 40292
  • Kate Snyder University of Louisville, College of Education & Human Development, Department of Counseling & Human Development, Louisville, KY 40292

Abstract

This paper focuses on the incorporation of active learning techniques and collaborative problemsolving teams in an introductory sophomore-level Material and Energy Balances course. It details a course redesign and evolution over a five-year period from the perspective of a new instructor. Major outcomes of the course redesign, including midterm and final exams and homework grades, are followed throughout the study and are interpreted in terms of statistical differences in performance between the annual course offerings.

Author Biographies

Delaina Amos, University of Louisville, J B Speed School of Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Louisville, KY 40292

Delaina A. Amos received her B.S. in ChE from the University of Virginia and her MS and PhD in ChE from the University of California, Berkeley. She joined the research staff at Eastman Kodak after graduation. Dr. Amos held a variety of roles at Kodak including research scientist, R&D team leader, technical liaison, and intellectual property co-leader from 1996-2009. She joined the faculty at the University of Louisville in 2010 as an Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering. In addition to active learning and technology in the classroom, her research interests involve novel uses of colloidal materials, quantum dots, Quantum Dot Light Emitting Diodes (QLEDs), polyelectrolytes, inkjet materials and thin film deposition for renewable energy and display applications such as solid-state lighting and solar cells. Her experience as a new instructor teaching a Material and Energy Balance course and her subsequent course redesign is the focus of the five-year study presented here.

Caroline Pittard, University of Louisville, College of Education & Human Development, Department of Counseling & Human Development, Louisville, KY 40292

Caroline M. Pittard is a doctoral candidate in Counseling Psychology in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Louisville. She earned her M.Ed. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Louisville and B.A. in Psychology from Elon University. Her research focuses on risk and protective factors for depression during adolescence. In this work, she collaborated with Kate Snyder on the conceptual research questions and data analysis presented.

Kate Snyder, University of Louisville, College of Education & Human Development, Department of Counseling & Human Development, Louisville, KY 40292

Kate E. Snyder is an Associate Professor of Educational Psychology, Measurement, and Evaluation in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Louisville. She earned her M.A and Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from Duke University, and her B.A. in Psychology from North Carolina State University. In her research program, she focuses on understanding the role of achievement motivation in the development of academic underachievement, particularly among academically gifted students. In this work, she collaborated with Caroline Pittard on the conceptual research questions and data analysis presented.

Downloads

Published

2018-09-17

Issue

Section

Manuscripts