Educational Research of Professor Paul S. Steif

• Research to better understand how students learn (or do not learn) basic engineering subjects.
  
• Development of educational materials that will help students achieve the necessary, fundamental understanding of engineering subjects.

Most of Professor Steif's work currently addresses learning in Statics and Mechanics of Materials.

Table of Contents

Conceptual Basis for Statics

This project is aimed at identifying the fundamental concepts which are necessary to learning Statics and how students understand and misunderstand those concepts. We arrive at students perceptions of concepts through interviews of students' and analysis of errors they commit while solving problems. A set of fundamental concepts and skills can provide a principled basis both for instruction and for assessing learning. This project is funded by the National Science Foundation.

P. S. Steif, “An Articulation of the Concepts and Skills which Underlie Engineering Statics,” 34th ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference, Savannah, GA., October 21-23, 2004. [Download PDF, 169KB]

J.L. Newcomer and P.S. Steif, “Student Thinking about Static Equilibrium: Insights from Written Explanations to a Concept Question,” Journal of Engineering Education, Vol. 97, pp. 481-490, (2008). [Download PDF, 1136KB]

(Return to top)

Concept Inventory for Statics

This test has been taken by over 2500 students prior to Statics (pre-test) and by over 4000 students after Statics (post-test) at more than 20 universities. Extensive psychometric analyses have established the reliability and validity of this test. More details can found in http://engineering-education.com/CATS-index.php.

Funded by the National Science Foundation through grant REC-0440295.

P. S. Steif and J. Dantzler, “A Statics Concept Inventory: Development And Psychometric Analysis,” J. Eng. Educ., Vol. 33, pp. 363-371, 2005. [Download PDF, 253KB]

P. S. Steif and M. Hansen, “Comparisons Between Performances In A Statics Concept Inventory And Course Examinations,” Int. J. Eng. Educ, Vol. 22, pp. 1070-1076, 2006. [Download PDF, 219KB]

P.S. Steif and M. A. Hansen, “New Practices for Administering and Analyzing the Results of Concept Inventories,” J. Eng. Educ., Vol. 96, pp. 205-212, 2007. [Download PDF, 723KB]

Below is a sample question from the Statics Concept Inventory

(Return to top)

Promoting Problem Solving Ability in Statics through Body-Centered Talk

This project builds on the critical relation between bodies and forces, which is inherent in the conceptual framework of Statics. In this project we investigate the hypotheses that students can be induced through instruction to talk more about the bodies present in a Statics problem, and that such talk improves problem solving performance. To this end we have developed technology for capturing student solutions of Statics problems with synchronous think aloud protocols. Solutions and protocols are graded and coded, respectively, and then analyzed to evaluate these hypotheses.

Funded by the National Science Foundation through grant REC-0440295

P. S. Steif, A. L. Fay, L. B. Kara, and S. E. Spencer “Work in Progress — Improving Problem Solving Performance in Statics through Body-Centric Talk” 36rd ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference, San Diego, CA., October, 28-31, 2006. [Download PDF, 135KB]

P.S. Steif, J. Lobue, A. L. Fay, L. B. Kara, and S.E. Spencer, Inducing Students To Contemplate Concept-Eliciting Questions And The Effect On Problem Solving Performance, Proceedings of the 2007 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition, Honolulu, HI, June 24-27, 2007. [Download PDF, 232KB]

P.S. Steif, J. Lobue, A. L. Fay, and L. B. Kara, Improving Problem Solving Performance by Inducing Talk about Salient Problem Features, J. Eng. Educ., Vol. 99, pp. 135-142, 2010. [PDF, 848KB]

(Return to top)

Reorganization of Statics Instruction

• Individuals who are new to Statics and Physics have difficulty understanding that forces exist between rigid, unmoving inanimate objects.
  
• Concepts of Statics should be treated gradually, in sequence, with mathematical manipulations initially kept to a minimum.

We have reformulated instruction in Statics to address concepts one at a time and, initially, only in the context of forces that are readily perceived by the senses of touch and sight. Emerging from this reformulation is a series of in-class Learning Modules, featuring: objects to manipulate or examine, PowerPoint Presentations, and Concept Questions. The instructor controls the PowerPoint Presentations, which step students through a series of ideas and questions related to the objects. The Concept Questions are multiple-choice questions that assess student understanding of concepts, and which require little or no analysis.

P. S. Steif and A. Dollár, “Enriching Statics Instruction with Physical Objects”, Proceedings of the 2002 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition, American Society for Engineering, Montreal,Canada, June 23-26, 2002.

A. Dollár and P. S. Steif, “Understanding Internal Loading Through Hands-On Experiences”, Proceedings of the 2002 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition, Montreal, Canada, American Society for Engineering, June 23-26, 2002.

P. S. Steif and A. Dollár, A New Approach To Teaching And Learning Statics, Proceedings of the 2003American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition, Nashville, TN, June 22-25, 2003. [Download PDF, 171KB]

A. Dollár and P. S. Steif, Learning Modules For The Statics Classroom, Proceedings of the 2003 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition, Nashville, TN, June 22-25, 2003. [Download PDF, 115KB]

P. S. Steif and A. Dollár, Collaborative, goal-oriented, Manipulation of Artifacts by Students during Statics Lecture, 33rd ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference, Boulder, Co., November 5-8, 2003. [Download PDF, 131KB]

A. Dollár and P. S. Steif, “Reinventing the Teaching of Statics”, Proceedings of the 2004 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition, Salt Lake City, UT, June 20-23, 2004. [Download PDF, 192KB]

P. S. Steif and A. Dollár, “Integrating Effective General Classroom Techniques With Domain-Specific Conceptual Needs”, Proceedings of the 2004 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition, Salt Lake City, UT, June 20-23, 2004. [Download PDF, 316KB]

P. S. Steif and A. Dollár, “Reinventing the Teaching of Statics”, Int. J. Eng. Educ., Vol. 21, pp. 723-729, 2005. [Download PDF, 239KB]

A. Dollár and P. S. Steif, “Learning Modules for Statics,” International Journal of Engineering Education, Vol. 22, pp.381-392, (2006) [Download PDF, 670KB]

Below is a Slide of a Learning Module addressing conditions for Equilibrium in 3-D

(Return to top)

This course is part of a larger project to create and sustain freely available, cognitively informed learning tools designed to provide a substantial amount of instruction through the digital learning environment. Such instruction provides opportunities to teach larger numbers of students with the same amount of human instructional support, and enables both asynchronous and distance learning. The Statics course will be divided into approximately twenty modules. Each module is based on a set of carefully articulated learning objectives and contains various interactive exercises. The explanation of basic concepts capitalizes appropriately on the computer's capability for displaying digital images, video, and animations controlled by the user. Assessment is tightly integrated within each module, with students confronting frequently interspersed "Learn By Doing" exercises, which offer hints and feedback. "Did I Get It" assessments at the end of each segment allow students to determine if learning was accomplished.

Funded by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation through Carnegie Mellon University's "Open Learning Initiative" (OLI)

A. Dollár and P. S. Steif, “Web-Based Statics Course”, 36rd ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference, San Diego, CA.,October, 28-31, 2006. [Download PDF, 361KB]

A. Dollár and P. S. Steif, (2008) “An Interactive, Cognitively Informed, Web-Based Statics Course”, International Journal of Engineering Education, Vol. 24, No. 6, pp. 1229-1241. [Download PDF, 1287KB] (interactive paper at: http://www.ijee.dit.ie/OnlinePapers/Interactive/Dollar_Steif/StaticsCourse.html)

P.S. Steif and A. Dollar, Study of Usage Patterns and Learning Gains in a Web-based Interactive Static Course, J. Eng. Educ., Vol. 98, pp. 321-333, 2009. [PDF, 1600KB]

More information about the OLI Engineering Statics course can be found at: http://engineering-education.com/OLI.php

(Return to top)

Problem Solving Courseware for Mechanics of Materials

In this project, we have developed software to offer students in Mechanics of Materials an alternative, and in some respects more effective, problem solving experience. Resulting from this investigation has been a set of six modules. Each module focuses one key topic, such as shear force and bending moment diagrams. Within each module there is a limited set of physical configurations, for example beams that are simply supported or cantilevered, with a limited set of load types. But, different problems approach the configuration in a distinct ways. For example, some problems lead the student through the drawing of the diagrams, some problems let the student draw the diagrams independently, and some problems give the diagrams and have the students deduce the loads. In some modules, such as one on axial loading, the distinct concepts associated with each class of problem unfold in a gradual and natural way, with successive problems building on the previous ones.

Students get immediate feedback on whether they solve each problem correctly, and they are offered randomly generated versions of similar problems until they can be solved correctly. This approach allows students to develop a better grasp of fundamental principles, an intuitive sense of the meaning of key quantities, and fluency in using relations to solve problems. Students use modules independently and submit electronic log files to instructors who can monitor their progress.

P. S. Steif, Computer-Based Learning Aids for Problem Solving in Mechanics of Materials, Proceedings of the 2000 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition, American Society for Engineering, St. Louis, MO, June, 2000.

P. S. Steif, Courseware for Problem Solving in Mechanics of Materials, Proceedings of the 2002 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition, American Society for Engineering, June 23-26, 2002.

P. S. Steif and L. M. Naples, Design and Evaluation of Problem Solving Courseware Modules For Mechanics of Materials, Journal of Engineering Education, Vol. 92, pp. 239-247, (2003). [Download PDF, 601KB]

Below is a problem from the StressAlyzer program addressing Shear Force and Bending Moment Diagrams

(Return to top)

Elementary FEA to Improve Visualization of Deformation

Collaborator: Edward Gallagher, Evan Small

Students need to be prepared for the engineering workplace, in which computer aided engineering tools are ubiquitous. Furthermore, CAE tools could be an excellent teaching tool. For example, by showing the deformed shape of a body, a finite element program can enable students to improve their ability to visualize deformation. Unfortunately, the use of commercial CAE packages is infeasible in many departments, and challenging for students to learn. Therefore, we have developed a very simple, web-based finite element program. This program is made accessible to students, even at level of a first mechanics of materials class, by giving it minimal capabilities: planar rectangular domains, only two types of elements, uniform meshing, isotropic linear elasticity, and only force or displacement boundary conditions. To pave the way to commercial FEA software, this simple program involves the same conceptual steps as commercial versions: specifying the domain, material, element type, mesh, and boundary conditions, solving and viewing results. The program is useful both for students to use independently in solving homework problems and for demonstrating ideas in lecture.

More details, as well as the current version of the program, can be found at http://engineering-education.com/FEA-index.php. This project is funded by the National Science Foundation.

P. S. Steif and E. Gallagher, “Transitioning Students To Finite Element Analysis And Improving Learning In Basic Courses”, 34th ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference, Savannah, GA., October 21-23, 2004. [Download PDF, 83KB]

Below is a Screen Shot from the Web Based FEA program used in elementary Mechanics of Materials Courses


(Return to top)

Modeling of Engineering Systems

Collaborator: Marina Pantazidou

Modeling of physical systems is a key engineering task, used, for example, to support design and to troubleshoot problems in the field. While modeling is tacitly the goal of most engineering science courses, there seems to be no accepted approach to developing the modeling skills of students. This project is aimed at laying the basis for such approaches by identifying the constituent components of the modeling process. We seek to describe modeling at a level of abstraction which allows us to account for modeling in many distinct engineering domains. Our primary methodology in identifying tasks has been through protocol analysis. Advanced graduate students are recorded as they are asked to think aloud how they would go about formulating and solving problems require significant modeling. The resulting protocols are analyzed, and coding schemes which can represent a small set of modeling foci of attention are identified. This approach is being refined, and means of adapting it to improve instruction are also being developed.

M. Pantazidou and P. S. Steif, Modeling Of Physical Systems: A Framework Based On Protocol Analysis, Proceedings of Int. Meeting on Civil Engineering Education, Ciudad Real, Spain, September 18-20, 2003

P. S. Steif and M. Pantazidou, “Identifying the Components of Modeling Through Protocol Analysis”, Proceedings of the 2004 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition, Salt Lake City, UT, June 20-23, 2004 [Download PDF, 81KB]

M. Pantazidou and P. Steif, Modeling Instruction in an Environmental Geotechnics Course, Proceedings of GeoCongress 2008, New Orleans, March 9–12, ASCE Geotechnical Special Publication 178:797-804, ( 2008) [Download PDF, 83KB]

(Return to top)

Computer Tutor for Truss Analysis

Steif, P.S., Fu, L., Kara, L.B., Technical Report: Development of a cognitive tutor for learning truss analysis, 2013 [Download PDF, 1.6 MB]