Engagement of undergraduate STEM students: the influence of non-routine problems. Issue 1 (2nd January 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Evans, Tanya; Klymchuk, Sergiy; Murphy, Priscilla E. L.; Novak, Julia; Stephens, Jason; Thomas, Mike
• Is Part Of: Higher education research & development. Volume 41:Issue 1(2022)
• Page Start: 146
• Page End: 162
• Publication Date: 2022-01-02
• Subjects: Student engagement -- non-routine problems -- STEM education -- Mathematics -- Undergraduate students; Education, Higher -- Australia -- Periodicals; 378.94
• DOI: 10.1080/07294360.2020.1835838
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0729-4360

Abstract

ABSTRACT: This study describes an intervention that introduced a period of solving non-routine problems into tertiary STEM lectures. The aim was twofold: to attempt to increase student engagement and to introduce them to the kind of domain-free abstract reasoning that involves critical, creative and innovative thinking. The study involved over 600 STEM participants in five lecture classes from three tertiary institutions. The results show that a style of lecture delivery that utilises the inherent engagement effect of non-routine problems can have a positive influence on student engagement – the effect that extends to a group of students who are conformed to type on many measures, including low-achievement. This is supported by evidence from different sources, including data from naturalistic observations conducted in lectures before, during, and after the intervention delivery; cross-sectional survey data at the start and the end of the semester; and interview data from the participant lecturers. The intervention is amenable to scaling up with a relatively small development investment and easily transferable to other tertiary STEM courses.