Using wikis and weblogs to support reflective learning in an introductory engineering design course

Abstract

An observation and a pedagogical challenge often found in project-based design courses is that students see what they have produced but they do not see what they have learned. This paper presents preliminary findings from an NSF-sponsored research project which experiments with the use of weblogs and wiki environments, two open source tools, to facilitate student integration and synthesis of learning in Designing the Human Experience, an introductory freshman seminar on design engineering at Stanford University. Coupled with Folio Thinking, a coached process of creating learning portfolios and supporting reflection, this study explores how the combination of this innovative pedagogy along with these new forms of social software can positively influence students' knowledge, awareness, and skills in design engineering.