Prototyping an interactive application to support collaborative open-ended problem solving for precollege students

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to showcase the design and implementation of a prototype of an interactive software application to support Model-Eliciting Activities (MEAs) for precollege students. MEAs were developed by mathematics education researchers to better understand and encourage problem solving. An MEA is an activity that is "thought-revealing and model-eliciting" [1] and has been adapted for other areas such as engineering from college to precollege. MEAs are realistic open-ended problem solving activities designed to encourage students to collaboratively create and improve mathematical models or algorithm. The instructional frame also provides a mean for educators to better understand students' thinking. MEAs involve students in communicating, working in team, critical thinking and problem solving, which are all necessary skills in engineering education. A number of student team responses were analyzed to design the application in order to accommodate possible solution processes that may be employed by students so students do not feel restricted into pursuing a specific process to solve the problem. Students would collaboratively develop the first draft of their solution. Then they enter the solution into the application. The application executes each step and students see the results. Application provides immediate feedback for each step, which enables students to reflect on their solution and revise it. The prototype was tested with schoolteachers. The preliminary analysis shows overall positive reaction to the software with a number of suggestions. In addition, teams showed more collaboration on a big screen interactive boards compared to tablets. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2013.