Application Of Object Scaffolding To Develop A Hands On, Problem Centered, And Project Based Freshman Matlab® Course

An application of object scaffold pedagogy to the teaching of MATLAB ® to freshman engineering students is being implemented as part of a problem-centered course during the spring 2006 semester. Object scaffolding has been proposed as a pedagogical technique in which student learning is anchored by a conceptual map resultant from previous learning and in which students are given necessary new information at their point of need. 1 The primary tenants of the scaffolding learning theory were used in the development of a hands-on, problem-centered and project-based freshman MATLAB ® course. The newly developed course is the second in a two-course sequence designed for all freshmen engineering students as part of the common freshman engineering experience. Previously, the two course sequence consisted of a “problem-solving and design” course, followed by a “programming” course. The two-course sequence has been redesigned to carry the unifying concept of the problem-solving and design process throughout both semesters. MATLAB ® is taught by presenting students with problems that would require the use of a mathematical programming tool to reach a solution. In this scenario, students, working in teams, are motivated to learn the syntax and structure of the language by the need to solve problems, and therefore, view the software as a problem-solving tool. Evidence of content mastery is assessed, primarily, through evaluation of the quality of student projects. The application of the scaffolding pedagogy in the “new” course is evidenced by: (1) presenting programming concepts and MATLAB ® within a technical problem solving context; (2) fostering increased cognitive development through collaborative interaction among students; (3) building on familiar concepts by beginning with scalar operations, then moving to vector and array operations; and (4) using a text designed to support this pedagogical method.