Session: 09-03-01: General Topics on Engineering Education

Paper Number: 112295

112295 - How to Accentuate Student Performance in an Online Environment 

 

 

Over the past five decades numerous learning style models have been introduced and this has generated increasing awareness to the concept that students tend to learn in diverse ways.  The proposition that students learn and study in different ways has thus emerged as a prominent pedagogical issue.  The conclusion being that a single approach to a certain teaching delivery style may not work for every student.   Charles Claxton, Former Director of Leadership in Judicial Education and Patricia Murrell of University of Memphis have reviewed and presented four approaches to examining learning styles of college students (Claxton & Murrell, 1987).  

1.    Personality

2.    Information processing

3.    Social interaction and

4.    Instructional methods

 

One can always argue that there are significant grounds for questioning the validity of each of the approaches cited above.  Regardless, the models do offer some commonsense descriptions of many factors that instructors can correlate to, in a classroom learning environment. 

Utilizing one or more of a variety learning style instruments available should give faculty plenty of additional information.   This will enable the instructors to craft the planned learning activities of students.   Some scholars interpret that learning style is a component of the wider concept of personality.  Dan McAdams and Jennifer Pals of Northwestern University offer a model of five fundamental principles for an integrative science of personality McAdams & Pals (2006). 

 

1.    Human nature

2.    Dispositional traits

3.    Characteristic adaptations

4.    Self-defining life narratives and

5.    Culture / social contexts.

 

We also need to look at the larger picture as to how to effectively communicate and connect with the differing learning styles of students.    In other words, we need to offer alternative and duplicative ways in the classroom as well as student – instructor interaction times.  In order to accomplish this, the author has studied, reviewed and examined several Learning Style Instruments and has listed a dozen of them hereunder.

 

1.    ASSIST :   Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students (Noel Entwistle, University of Edinburgh, Scotland)

 

2.    LSQ :         Learning Styles Questionnaire (Peter Honey and Alan Mumford of International Computers Limited … Now Fujitsu) 

 

3.    LSP :          Learning Styles Profiler (Chris J. Jackson of UNSW, Sydney, Australia)

 

4.    LSI :          Learning Styles Inventory (Alice Y. Kolb & David A. Kolb of Experience Based Learning Systems, Inc., Hawaii)

 

5.    TSI :          Thinking Styles Inventory (Robert J. Sternberg of Cornell University, Ithaca, New York)

 

6.    CSA :         Cognitive Styles Analysis (Richard J. Riding of University of Birmingham, England)

 

7.    CSI :          Cognitive Styles Index (Christopher Allinson and John Hayes of University of Leeds, England)

 

8.    GSD :        Gregorc’s Style Delineator and Mind Styles Model (Anthony Gregorc of Gregorc Associates, Massachusetts)

 

9.    ILS :          Inventory of Learning Styles (Jan D. Vermunt of Utrecht University, The Netherlands)  

10.                       LSCY :      Learning Style Clue to You (Rita Dunn and Kenneth J. Dunn of St. John's University, New York)

11.                       MBTI : Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (Myers-Briggs Foundation, Gainesville, Florida)

12.                       MSP : Motivational Style Profile (Michael Apter of Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.)

The author has tried to implement innovative ideas promoted by a variety of researchers and scholars into practice (Narayanan, 2009 & 2019).   Furthermore, the author utilizes a variety of instructional tools to communicate with students who may prefer to have different learning styles (Kolb, 1985).    In addition to routinely used methodologies like traditional lectures and laboratory exercises, the author heavily promotes the inclusion and implementation of 21^st century modern technology.     This includes, but not limited to: World Wide Web, WebEx, Interactive Video Distance Learning, Discussion Boards, Student–Group Meetings etc.  Traditional Audio-Visual techniques such as power point presentations, tutorials, problem-solving sessions, reflective research reports, peer group discussions, etc. also supplement student learning.  In this presentation the author provides an analysis of the data that support the importance of accentuating Student Performance in an Online Learning Environment.

Presenting Author: Mysore Narayanan MIAMI UNIVERSITY

Presenting Author Biography: DR. MYSORE NARAYANAN obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Liverpool, England in the area of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. He joined Miami University in 1980 and teaches a wide variety of electrical, electronic and mechanical engineering courses. He has been invited to contribute articles to several encyclopedias and has published and presented dozens of papers at local, regional , national and international conferences. He has also designed, developed, organized and chaired several conferences for Miami University and conference sessions for a variety of organizations. He is a senior member of IEEE and is a member of ASME, SIAM, ASEE and AGU. He is actively involved in CELT activities and regularly participates and presents at the Lilly Conference. He has been the recipient of several Faculty Learning Community awards. He is also very active in assessment activities and has presented more than forty five papers at various Assessment Institutes. His posters in the areas of Assessment, Bloom’s Taxonomy and Socratic Inquisition have received widespread acclaim from several scholars in the area of Cognitive Science and Educational Methodologies. He has received the Assessment of Critical Thinking Award twice and is currently working towards incorporating writing assignments that enhance students’ critical thinking capabilities.

Authors:

Mysore Narayanan MIAMI UNIVERSITY