Education Research Collaboration of Magana and Pienaar Published in International Journal of STEM Education

August 12, 2024

New educational research on supporting improved learning outcomes from scaffolding team-based modeling projects from the EMBRIO collaboration with the Magana and Pienaar labs!

• The study investigates the effectiveness of scaffolded team-based computational modeling and simulation projects in enhancing model-based learning, focusing on representational competence and regulatory skills among undergraduate students.
• A total of 116 second-year thermodynamics students participated in the study, working in 24 teams on three two-week-long projects, which involved problem formulation, model planning, implementation, evaluation, and reflection.
• Results indicated varying levels of student engagement with computational model-based learning, highlighting their representational competence in understanding the computational model, interpreting graphical outputs, and making sense of the underlying code.
• The study identifies regulatory skills as essential for students, encompassing challenges and strategies related to programming, meaning-making in connecting science to code and results, and project management skills, ultimately contributing to evidence-based scaffolding strategies for enhancing student engagement in computational modeling.

Magana, A.J., Arigye, J., Udosen, A., Lyon, J.A., Path, J., and Pienaar, E. (2024). Scaffolded team-based computational modeling and simulation projects for promoting representational competence and regulatory skills. IJ STEM Ed 11, 34. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-024-00494-3