 As computers become more prevalent (and required) in engineering
classrooms, it becomes increasingly important to address the dichotomy
in our current understanding of their impact on student attention and
learning. While some researchers report increased student learning,
others view computers as a distraction to learning. To address this
conflict, I am conducting research aimed at gaining a fundamental
understanding of how students use their computers in-class and how
student attention is connected to learning and pedagogical practice. By
gaining such an understanding, instructors’ design of classroom
interventions aimed at increasing positive computer usage will be better
informed.
I am developing a software tool that will
allow for the assessment of student attention in classrooms while
upholding our responsibility to protect student privacy. The
lightweight software tool allows for real-time data collection across
large classrooms. Thus, the tool creates an efficient means of
characterizing student computer use in classrooms, and supports the
investigation of student response to technology-infused pedagogical
practice.
This research has immediate practical
implications and a broad impact since a clearer understanding of
students’ computer use will better inform pedagogical practice in all
technology-infused classrooms. The data collection tool developed for
this study, once validated, will enable the exploration of additional
research questions.
Publications
- Mohammadi-Aragh, M.J., & Williams, C. B. (in press). Students'
Perceptions of Tablet PC Interaction Techniques. Computers in Education, accepted September 2012. (Paper was also presented at American Society of
Engineering Education Annual Conference, San Antonio, TX, June 10-13, 2012.)
- Mohammadi-Aragh, J., Stephenson, J., Song, K., Wasko, C., and Finn, T.
(2012). Tablet PCs in undergraduate general engineering: The untold
story. Poster session presented at the Conference on Higher Education
Pedagogy, Blacksburg, VA.
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