Document Type
Thesis
Degree
Master of Science (MS)
Major/Program
Mechanical Engineering
First Advisor's Name
Dr. Alexandra Strong
First Advisor's Committee Title
Committee Chair
Second Advisor's Name
Dr. Benjamin Boesl
Second Advisor's Committee Title
Committee Member
Third Advisor's Name
Dr. Darryl Dickerson
Third Advisor's Committee Title
Committee Member
Keywords
Statics, Mechanical Engineering, Engineering Education, Faculty-Student Interactions, Learning Assistants
Date of Defense
3-28-2022
Abstract
Statics is one of the first fundamental engineering classes within the ME undergraduate curriculum, in which a student’s performance in the course can impact their overall academic success. Recent efforts to enhance students learning in fundamental engineering courses have included integrating Learning Assistants (LAs), undergraduate peers who have previously excelled in the course, into the instructional team of the course. The purpose of this Master's thesis is to explore the enactment of a Statics classroom with LAs, the interactions that characterize it, and the impact it has on the students and instructional teams. A qualitative case study of a Statics course with LAs was conducted leveraging Kranzfelder’s Teaching Discourse Moves Framework to deductively and inductively analyze the data collected. The value of having LAs within Statics was prevalent throughout the interactions and from the perspective of the LAs, instructors, and students. However, Statics remains a challenging course for the students and the LAs remained untapped resources for many in the course. The results of this study have implications for engineering departments and instructors.
Identifier
FIDC010526
Recommended Citation
Bracho Perez, Valerie V., "Expanding Faculty-Student Interactions in Statics: An Exploratory Study of a Statics Course with Learning Assistants" (2022). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 4944.
https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/4944
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