Use of Kolb Cycle and Digital
Video Lectures for
Enhancement of Learning and
Learning Attitude
ASEE Conference, March, 2006
Content
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Use of Kolb Cycle
Problem
Approach
Conclusions
Use of digital video lectures
Problem
Approach
Conclusions
Use of Kolb Cycle
Problem
• Students need to prepare to deal with unfamiliar
situations in their professional life
• Educators
• Need to instill the responsibility for learning in
students
• Make them capable of thinking on their own and
making effective decisions
• How do we make sure that students have the ability
to engage in life long learning (ABET requirement)?
• It is very difficult, if not impossible to measure the
outcome of an attempt to make life-long learners out
of civil engineering students.
Approach
• Make students learn to learn
• Make them self-learners, and
Experience
thus give them a critical skill
for becoming life long
learners.
Experimentation
Reflection
• Kolb’s learning cycle - ideal
framework for building a
learning based
Conceptualization
course/experience/curriculum
that can teach students how
to learn.
Kolb cycle of learning
• Develop an environment
which will provide them a
complete learning experience
through their active
participation.
Current Needs
Need for qualified civil
engineers
Need for life long
learning
Need for selflearning
Proposed Approach
Use Kolb’s cycle
Work Needed
Provide specific
elements of Kolb’s
cycle; use currently
used laboratory and
field-work based
approaches
Provide learning to
learn course
Adapt best practices, and
modify elements to
make the presentation
feasible in seven-week
term course
Initiate self-learning
Prepare course
materials,
presentation plan,
and assessment plan
Implement - Present
course, assess results
and submit report with
conclusions and
recommendations
Scope of work
Element
Time
Content of Session
Mode
Concrete
Experience
Week
1
Virtual tour of instrumented
pavement section, material
properties, data from field
instruments.
Observe pavement layers,
instruments, data
acquisition server, typical
data, effect of load and
environment on pavement
response data. Observe
typical laboratory tests and
data.
Reflection
Weeks
2 and
3
Discussion of questions related
to effect of load and
environmental factors affecting
pavement performance
Students initiate and
moderate a discussion with
a simultaneous view of
pavement section and data
from instrumentation
Abstract
Conceptual
-ization
Weeks
4 and
5
Explanation of pavement
response under load and
environment, different material
properties, design principles
and procedures
Observe animated
schematics and run
computer aided
pavement analysis
Active
Experiment
-ation
Weeks
6 and
7
Comparison of predicted and
actual pavement response.
Use in-place stress and
strain/deflection
measurements to determine
effect of traffic and
environment
on response of pavement
structure, predict response and
compare predicted response
with response obtained form
field
instruments. Run parametric
studies.
Work in teams on parametric
studies. Write, submit and
present research
paper. Provide background,
critical analysis of effect of
traffic and environmental
conditions, comparison of
predicted and observed
responses, any differences
and explanation, and
conclusions.
Outside tires/wheel path
Outside lane
TEMPERATURE GAUGES
4 inch
HMA
12 inch BASE/
SUBBASE
SUBGRADE
MOISTURE GAUGES
SECTION 1
3 SOPT
PRESSURE
TRANSDUCERS
Proposed instrumented
pavement section for
experience
Partner: Maine DOT
Problem in Course
• Delay in pavement construction due to timing
and budget
• The plan for using the newly constructed section
for the virtual tour had to be abandoned.
• Course in Spring 2005 consisted of all the four
elements of Kolb's cycle
• The data was obtained instead from instruments
installed in a pavement slab subjected to loading
and testing under different conditions with a
vehicle simulator in the WPI Pavement
Research Laboratory.
Strain gauge
Strain gauges in pavement slab
Schematic of MMLS 3 (lateral side view)
MMLS 3 on instrumented slab, connected to data
acquisition system
tension
compression
One of the four loading tires
Data from strain gauge at the bottom of the slab
Pavement Slab and Model Mobile Load Simulator, Testing
conducted at Different speeds and Temperature
Classroom set-up
• Arrange the classroom to allow the
demonstration of both actual data
as well as predicted data at the
same time.
• A classroom was equipped with a
computer and projection console,
a wide screen plasma monitor and
a projection system
• Animations were developed to
illustrate the key concepts in
pavement engineering.
Conclusions
• Based on pre and post course surveys:
• The most important contribution of this course was
towards helping the students to learn to think and
reason.
• Improved self-learning capabilities and attitude.
• Improved their skills on expressing their thoughts
clearly through speaking/discussion and writing.
• The students have gained experience in laboratory
data acquisition, experimentation and analysis.
• The teacher has gained teaching skills and
experience.
Conclusions
• Learning to think and reason and skills
for clear articulation are necessary for
becoming life long learners - the
course has demonstrated, in a small
way, the benefit of using Kolb cycle.
Indirect benefits
1. Through collaborative research,
that has followed this project, WPI,
University of Maine and Maine
Department of Transportation have
started a significant amount of
funded research on pavement
analysis on the basis of data from
in-place instruments.
2. This research is contributing to
education of two MS students, one
each at WPI and University of
Maine at present, with the potential
of supporting another two in the
near future.
Use of Digital Video Lectures
Problem
• Our current method of education has pretty
much remained the same for decades
• Because the lecture approach is personable and
effective and
• Because it is the most convenient method of
presenting information to a large number of
individuals simultaneously.
• The traditional system enforces certain rules
such as being physically present at a predecided place and time to attend a lecture.
Problem
• While there is no real substitute for face to face
teaching, this does not always ensure that the
student is mentally present in the class.
• Because of many uncontrollable reasons,
students can “miss” part of a lecture.
• Quite often many students do not request the
instructor to repeat, and this situation creates
specific “knowledge gaps” in student minds.
Problem
• Since each lecture dwells on several subtopics,
students do not get enough time to stop and
think and reflect on each sub topic before
moving on to the next one.
• Also, the pace of learning is dictated by the
timing and sequence of the lectures.
• If possible, exploration of different concepts at
his or her own pace would allow the students to
learn more, and learn more effectively than in
lectures
- ability of concept retention would increase
dramatically.
Approach
• Need to supplement classroom lectures
with lecture materials that can be used
outside the classroom.
• Digital recordings of lectures, complete
with multimedia items, are an attractive
option for meeting this need.
• The objective of this study was to evaluate
the use of digital video lectures in two
existing civil engineering courses at WPI.
Scope
• Preparation and use of digital videos for each
and every lecture for two seven-week courses,
conducting a survey for each course, and
analysis of the survey and digital video use data.
• Selected two existing courses in the Civil and
Environmental Engineering department.
• CE 3054 – Asphalt Technology, and CE 3051 –
Introduction to Pavement Materials, Design and
Management.
Courses
• CE3054 is a laboratory-based course, which
introduces the field of design, construction and
management of asphalt pavements
• CE3051 provides an introduction to concepts
required for design, construction and management
of pavements.
• 7 week terms/every day class - students need to
stay concentrated and focused throughout the term.
There is less opportunity for “making up” if a student
falls behind.
• Each lecture period generally consists of a
combination of “talk,” video, animation, slides and
use of specific software
- recorded as digital videos
- CAMTASIA software
Video of lectures
• The videos consisted of screenshots of Microsoft
PowerPoint files, interspersed with relevant
images, MS Word and Excel documents, movies
and FLASH animations.
• The actual recording involved reviewing the
slides/items on the desktop and dubbing “voice
over” through a microphone.
• After initial saving, the AVI files were converted
to windows media viewer (wmv) files, and
posted in “MyWPI” - which is WPI's online
information and learning portal.
Videos of lectures
• Recording of each 50 minute lecture
required a preparation time of at least
one to two hours.
• Creating the videos was fairly simple,
The software also allows one to pause
recording, if needed, and start back.
• It is advisable to leave aside a quiet and
undisturbed two hour period for
recording each 50-minute lecture.
Video of lecture
• Students had access to the files throughout the terms
• Had the choice of either viewing them through the
windows media player as a streamed file or viewing
them after downloading and saving them onto their
computers.
• The instructor requested the students to go through the
videos at least before each class, and in some cases
before a set of classes on a specific topic.
• The students were also encouraged to view the videos at
their own pace, whenever they had time, to develop
interest in the courses, and also before examinations to
refresh their minds.
Videos of lectures
• Preparation and recording time is significant
• Instructor gets a chance to do a good job of
presenting everything together in a very coherent
and complete fashion – something that is often not
possible (to the same extent) in an actual
classroom.
• Once prepared, the lecture can be made available
24 hours a day – any day, during the term.
• The students can actually “view and hear” these
lectures, for example for finding something that they
missed in the class, and hence get the most out of
every lecture.
Assessment of digital video use
• End-of-course surveys targeted at
assessing
• Viewing habits
• Motivation for viewing, and
• Perceptions of usefulness of the videos
• Feedback on video quality
• Suggestions for modifications to the
videos.
Video and use
• The quality of the videos seems to have been good.
• Some students indicated the videos were too long
and expressed a desire for shorter videos.
• Each student in both courses utilized the videos to
some extent, with half of all students viewing at least
almost all of the videos.
• Data indicate that the videos were useful to the
students for purposes of review.
• While half of all students viewed the videos before
class, almost all students viewed the videos after
class, and half of the students indicated that they
reviewed video segments more than one time.
Assessment of digital video use
• For both courses combined, all students watched the
videos in response to advice from the course professor,
three-fourths of the students believed that watching the
videos would help them understand the material better,
and two-thirds of the students believed that watching the
videos would help them to prepare for the exam.
• An examination of survey responses for both course
combined revealed that the videos were useful in terms
of making the course material clearer and in terms of
completing course assignments. Survey respondents
also believed that future students in these courses would
benefit from using the videos. Specifically, students
responded as follows:
Assessment of digital video use
• Students found the videos useful and almost all indicated
that the videos helped to make course material clearer.
• Compared to written materials, over three-fourths of the
students found the videos at least as helpful in their
attempts to understand the course material.
• Half of the students found the videos at least as helpful
in their attempts to understand the course material and
half found them less helpful compared to one-on-one
time with the instructor.
• Over half of the students indicated that the videos were
helpful in completing course assignments.
• All indicated that future students would benefit from
using the videos.
Conclusions
• In general, the performance of the students in these
courses was better than students in these same
courses in the previous years, particularly with
respect to understanding of fundamental concepts.
• The impacts were made, most probably, on
understanding basic concepts through the use of
animations.
• The instructor had actually fewer requests for
explaining fundamental concepts and more requests
to work out example problems and discuss problem
solving techniques.
Conclusions
• It should be noted that this impact is felt
more at a school like WPI, where a typical
term runs for only seven weeks, and
classes are held everyday.
• The videos, most likely, give the students
a chance to reflect on the live lecture, and
then “revisit” the lectures to clarify any
confusion or missed topics.
Cost and Benefit
• The “cost” is in terms of the time invested by the
instructor. The creation of all the videos for each class
took approximately 40 hours.
• The “benefit” was in mostly in terms of improved
understanding of concepts and increase in confidence of
students.
• The increased understanding did also help the students
to perform better in laboratory experiments (for one
course).
• The videos did also (indirectly) help in creating interest
among students, and in making them “revisit” concepts
and topics more often than in courses without the videos.
Cost and Benefit
• The “benefit” was also partly for the instructor, in the
sense that he got an opportunity to organize the different
types of teaching aides outside the class and prepare a
more complete and through presentation than what is
possible in the class.
• Based on the feedback from students, at this time it is
perhaps a good idea to pursue this technique and
evaluate it in more detail in the near future.
• This is a “risk” that is worth taking for the instructor,
since, if it is not pursued further, when it should have
been, the “risk” of loss will be entirely for the students.
Major Conclusions
• Digital video lectures of satisfactory quality can
be prepared within a reasonable amount of time
• A significant percentage of students in any class
can be expected to actually use the digital video
lectures.
• The digital video lectures are perceived as
helpful materials for understanding and getting
prepared for examinations.
• The digital video lectures should not be used as
“stand-alone” materials
• Students prefer short to-the-point videos,
Recommendation
• Try out in classes with larger number
• Share these videos with other instructors
to teach specific topics in different
courses.
• Distribute these videos to colleagues
within your department or at other
universities
Acknowledgements
• The authors thank the National Science Foundation
(NSF) for their financial assistance through the following
project: 0310513 - CCLI: Concrete Experience with Civil
Engineering: Using Kolb's Cycle to Develop Skills for Life
Long Learning.
• The authors are also grateful to the Civil and
Environmental Engineering Department and the
Academic Technology Center (ATC) at WPI, as well as
the Maine Department of Transportation for their help in
conducting this project.
• This project would not have been possible without the
help of Professor Judith Miller.
THANKS!