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2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Project-Based Active Learning Techniques Enhance Computer Programming Academic and Career Self-Efficacy of Undergraduate Biomedical Engineering Students

Presented at Assessment of Student Learning and Skills

Introduction

Active learning significantly improves students’ educational achievements as compared to passive learning [1, 2]. In Biomedical Engineering (BME), active learning can be incorporated through various techniques such as problem- and project-based learning [3]. Such approaches lead students to deeper and more efficient retention of new concepts. During the past two decades, perceived self-efficacy has been increasingly considered as a highly effective predictor of students’ motivation and learning, as well as an important contributor to their academic development [4, 5]. Over the past two years, we investigated how project-based active learning techniques used in a biomedical computing class affected the self-efficacy of undergraduate BME students.

Method

This study was carried out under an official exemption by the Institutional Research Board at the […] (university de-identified for the purpose of double-blind review). In our project-based learning approach, 3-member student groups were instructed to build a heart rate monitor/activity tracker using Arduino UNO microprocessors interfacing with MATLAB and MATLAB Mobile. In another section of this course with different students, a problem-based learning approach was incorporated, where 3-member student groups were instructed to design a biomedical-oriented problem statement, and push the boundaries of their acquired programming skills to solve that problem. Additionally, they were required to review five journal papers on a biomedical topic assigned to their group and present a short summary lecture. Seven-point Likert-scale anonymous surveys with 14 questions were collected prior to and following the project within all sections. Survey results from the problem-based group were used to control against other potential factors affecting perceived self-efficacy. Due to the anonymous nature of the surveys, unpaired t-test with significance level set at =0.05 was used to statistically compare the pre- and post-activity self-efficacy scores.

Results

The following concepts significantly improved upon the completion of the hands-on project: clearer vision of programming application in engineering and in BME; believing in the necessity of programming in BME training; and higher expectation of success in a future BME career. Interestingly, problem-based learning did not indicate significant improvements in any of the investigated concepts, with lesser enhancements observed in the corresponding mean scores.

Discussion

Problem statement design, literature review, and completing a hands-on project will all provide the students with a wide range of practical applications of the course material. Hands-on projects, however, have a higher impact on improving students’ perceived self-efficacy and expectation of success, as compared to problem statement design and literature review alone. All of the foregoing improvements achieved through the completion of hands-on projects have direct influence on students’ motivation, and would maximize the accomplishment of learning objectives.

References

[1] Freeman, S. et al. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(23), pp. 8410–8415.
[2] Handelsman, J. et al., Science, 304(5670), pp. 521–522.
[3] Clyne, A. M., and Billiar, K. L. Journal of Biomechanical Engineering, 138(7), p. 070804.
[4] Bandura, A., Psychological Review, 84(2), p.191.
[5] Zimmerman, B.J., Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25(1), pp.82-91.

Authors
  1. Mr. S. Cyrus Rezvanifar University of Akron [biography]

    S. Cyrus Rezvanifar is a Junior Scientist in Department of Rehabilitation Medicine in University of Minnesota. He earned his Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering at The University of Akron in 2019. He also served as a Research Fellow in Cleveland Clinic Akron General from 2016 to 2019, where he conducted research on biomechanics of human knee joint and patellar instability. In 2016, he received a Doctoral Teaching Fellowship from the College of Engineering at The University of Akron. Through this teaching program, he served as an instructor-of-record for two years and also conducted educational research on the effect of various active learning techniques on improving students' self-efficacy and overall learning experience, which led to several publications and presentations in ASEE, Journal of Biomechanical Engineering, and SB3C.

  2. Dr. Rouzbeh Amini Orcid 16x16http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3632-6195 Northeastern University [biography]

    Dr. Amini completed a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Minnesota in the field of ocular biomechanics and biotransport in 2010. He then continued his research work on the mechanics of soft tissue as a postdoctoral trainee at the University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Bioengineering, where he held the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NIH F32). He conducted his postdoctoral research on the biomechanics of cardiac valves. Dr. Amini served as an assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at The University of Akron from 2013 to 2019. Since January 2020, he has been an Associate Professor with joint appointment in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering and the Department of Bioengineering at Northeastern University. The overall goal of his research laboratory is to improve human health by studying the multi-scale biomechanics and biotransport in cardiovascular, ocular, and digestive systems. Dr. Amini’s research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, Akron Children’s Hospital, Firestone Foundation, and American Heart Association.

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