The paper is an Evidence-Based Practice Paper that presents the justification and challenges of a group of instructors in a mechanical and civil engineering program at the University of Evansville, located in Evansville, IN. During a multi-year study in undergraduate engineering courses, the effectiveness of daily homework assignments is investigated and a comparison of an alternative “quiz only” approach is made for undergraduate basic mechanics and pre-engineering classes including statics and dynamics. Results of a course offering a hybrid quiz and homework approach are then explored.
Effective teachers continue to search for evidence that the topics they teach are being easily received and clearly processed by their students. In recent years, as student behaviors have changed and access to information has become more mainstream, teachers are faced with new challenges to classical learning techniques. Educators at engineering universities across the United States have employed a variety of different ideas related to homework and quizzes in their attempts to improve student learning. A specific comparison of cohort groups that have progressed through basic engineering classes such as statics and dynamics into upper-level major specific classes such as soil mechanics are also presented. Several cohorts starting as freshmen in statics and progressing through upper-level design classes provide a broad overview of the impact of this teaching pedagogy.
Comparisons and correlations for each of these approaches are made to their corresponding in-class exams. Potential improvements as well as current limitations to this study are then revealed.
Associate Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Evansville in Evansville, IN.
Dr. Fulcher is an associate professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Evansville. He is faculty adviser of the student chapter of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE).
Dr. Suresh Immanuel Selvaraj is an associate professor of civil engineering at the University of Evansville, IN. He holds a PhD degree from Auburn University and a licensed professional engineer. His research interests are in engineering education, pavement design and analysis, pavement management, and pavement instrumentation. At the University of Evansville, he teaches courses such as transportation engineering, soil mechanics, geotechnical engineering, advanced pavement design and management, and surveying.
Are you a researcher? Would you like to cite this paper? Visit the ASEE document repository at peer.asee.org for more tools and easy citations.