(532f) WIP: Using Assessments to Observe Conceptual Changes in Chemical Engineering Students

This pilot study investigates students’ conceptual understanding of chemical kinetics, documented via formative and summative assessments, over a semester. Course instructors use assessments to gauge students’ ability in a specific subject area. When these course-level assessments are well-aligned with clear learning objectives, they become powerful tools for students to improve their reflect on their learning and improve their performance on future assessments. However, this feedback loop occurs less frequently in practice for several reasons. In some cases, the assessments are not linked to course goals, students are not given adequate time or opportunities to engage in this essential feedback loop before moving on to new content, or students receive number or letter grades after completing the assessment instead of actionable feedback.

Purpose/Research Questions

This study examines the changes in students’ conception of chemical kinetics using qualitative content analysis (QCA) to address the following research questions: (1) Do the students progress towards a more mature/expert-like understanding of kinetic concepts? (2) Do the qualitative results agree with students’ exams and overall grades?

Research Methods

The data will be collected from third-year chemical engineering students enrolled in a chemical kinetics and reactor design course in one semester. This data includes students’ hand-written responses to related questions on an open-ended conceptual survey, in-class activities, and the course exam.

Preliminary Findings

The preliminary findings will reveal some misconceptions students initially hold about core chemical kinetic concepts despite their exposure to them in previous courses.

Implications

This study will motivate educators to examine their assessment practices, their assumptions about their students, and how they use assessment to inform their instructional decisions. In particular, this study will highlight the importance of assessing students’ prior knowledge at the start of a course and the weakness of solely relying on categorical (number and letter) grades for information about students’ conceptual understanding and abilities.