Yeow Siow
Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, College of Engineering
Yeow Siow Heading link
Yeow Siow
Dr. Yeow Siow received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. from Michigan Technological University where he began his teaching career. He then joined Navistar’s thermal-fluids systems group as a senior engineer, and later brought his real-world expertise back into the classroom at Purdue University Northwest. Since 2013 he has been teaching at UIC where he enjoys discovering advances in engineering education, particularly innovative pedagogy, equitable assessment, and instructional technology integration.
Siow is a 2022-23 Action Research Scholar.
Yeow Siow
Yeow Siow
Investigating the Effects of Fluency-based Assessment and Grading System on Student Engagement and Motivation Heading link
Abstract
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Many nonconventional grading systems, such as standards-based and competency-based methods, have proven successful in improving student course learning outcomes. This project examines a newly developed fluency-based assessment system (FAS), and aims to answer the research question of how it impacts student engagement and motivation.
The conventional assessment system in engineering often penalizes student ingenuity and creativity, discourages learning through research, peer consultation and reflection, and undermines the growth mindset. At best, the conventional grading system rewards students who consistently exercise, and adhere to, textbook precision in problem solving. Oftentimes, however, the conventional system unjustly measures student success, and it can cause undue anxiety and frustration among students, leading to disengagement and lowered motivation.
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The FAS seeks to address the pitfalls of the conventional system by focusing on the learning process rather than course grade. An example of FAS was implemented in a core mechanical engineering course in Spring 2023, and data was collected using a self-reporting instrument. Results show that, compared to the conventional system, FAS generally does a better job in helping students stay engaged with the course content and keeping students motivated throughout the term.
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Project Background and Rationale
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Having spent several years in the field as an engineer, I have discovered firsthand that an impactful problem solver is one who always engages themselves with not only the tasks at hand, but also the community; one who has a sustained drive to reach a goal; and one who effectively communicates ideas while being critical of their own work. In other words, it goes far beyond technical ability.
Textbook solutions made available officially by the publishers or unofficially by end users can be obtained in the public domain, some behind a paywall, at will. Herein lies the issues: 1. Students are rewarded for the act of completing homework assignments instead of the ability to self-evaluate the quality of their work. 2. Students are penalized for failing to adhere to the standard solution procedure and obtain the expected answers in exams, while they should instead be encouraged to present their argument and rationale that differ from the formal grading sheet. 3. Students are accused of plagiarism and cheating for copying from the solution manual, while the instructor — knowingly or otherwise — assigns homework and exam problems out of the textbook for the sole purpose of grading, thereby luring students into a “trap” that promises a path of least resistance.
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Frustrated by the state of affairs in engineering teaching and the disconnect between academia and practice, I set out to overhaul a mechanical engineering course, with a particular focus on assessment and grading, loosely based on a standards-based method pioneered by Nilson1.
To measure student engagement and motivation, recent works by Li2 and Diefus-Dux and Cruz Castro3, among others, were consulted.
The course in question is ME 308 Mechanical Vibrations, a required, three-credit core course for mechanical engineering majors, and an elective for other engineering students. This course shares many learning outcomes with 300- and 400-level courses in the mechanical engineering curriculum, e.g., students will be able to formulate problems using rigorous physics and mathematics, etc. ME 308 has three prerequisites: Programming, Dynamics and Differential Equations.
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Questions Investigated
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This project aims to answer the central research question, “how does FAS impact student engagement and motivation?”
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The body of work about unconventional assessment in engineering primarily focuses on student learning objectives as the outcome to be measured; few have investigated student behaviors. With this project, I hope to contribute to the literature and perhaps inspire other educators.
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FIndings
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A survey was created including measures of student motivation and engagement. A total 19 Likert-scale questions were included in the survey instrument; participants were asked to answer the same set of questions twice: once for the current course where FAS has been implemented, and again for a different engineering course utilizing a conventional grading system.
A total of 25 respondents were recorded for FAS, and 20 for conventional. In general, the results revealed that FAS appears to have a positive impact on student motivation and engagement. However, the large standard deviation observed in some of the questions (for both FAS and conventional) suggests that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to assessment.
In addition to the Likert-scale questions, participants were asked to answer two open-ended questions regarding the FAS course, ME308:
- Can you describe an assessment item you most enjoyed or found most stimulating? And why was this?
- Compared to the conventional grading system in other engineering courses, how does the fluency system used in ME308 impact your learning experience so far?
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The overall responses to these two questions are encouraging, and may provide further insight into why and when FAS may be a better choice. Some highlights include:
Projects…keep me engaged and don’t take up an insane amount of time.
Projects…over exams make me feel less stressed and I actually gain a deeper understanding of what is being covered.
I like the almost bite size amount of content. I can often do them fairly quickly so there is a sense of accomplishment.
I noticed that I worry less about the grade and more about completing the tasks…which has helped me retain more information as I learn more.
It allows me to track where I am in the class which makes me more motivated to do my assignments on time.
It motivates me to do more assignments to earn a better grade. Many traditionally done courses have various weighting systems and it actually punishes me sometimes.
…fluency system is amazing for my style of learning. I enjoy fast lessons since I tend to have a short attention span.
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Dissemination and Impact
- At the individual level:
- On day one of the semester, I gave a synopsis of why, how, and what of FAS to my students in ME308
- I have shared details of FAS with several colleagues in my department through one-on-one conversations
- I was interviewed by a graduate student when I discussed FAS
- At the department/program or college/school level: I was invited to present FAS at a community of practice session organized by another engineering department
- At the institutional (UIC) level: I presented the work during a CATE seminar
- At the state, national, and/or international levels:
- I submitted a paper to the 2024 American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) IL-IN Section Conference
- I am planning to submit a follow-up paper to other conferences such as the national ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, ASME IMECE conference, etc.
- At the individual level:
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Implications
This action research project has forever changed me as an educator and researcher. I am much more reflective of my actions — from course planning to assessment, from class website design to managing classroom climate. Everything I do can and do have an impact on student learning, well-being, self belief, and life in general. I plan to continue to improve and finetune FAS, implement it in other classes, and help any of my colleagues interested in adapting FAS in their own classrooms.
Additionally, I now feel confident and empowered to pursue human subject research in the future. I am planning a follow-up study to the current work; I am also collaborating with a colleague in my home unit to launch a research project for an introductory design course.
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References
- Nilson, L. (2015). Specifications Grading: Restoring Rigor, Motivating Students, and Saving Faculty Time. Stylus Publishing.
- Li, S. (2021). Measuring cognitive engagement: An overview of measurement instruments and techniques. International Journal of Psychology and Educational Studies, 8(3), 63-76.
- Diefes-Dux, H. A. and Cruz Castro, L. M. (2019). Validation of an Instrument to Measure Student Engagement with a Standards- Based Grading System. ASEE Annual Conference Proceedings.