Linguistic Evidence Of Cognitive Distribution: Quantifying Learning Among Undergraduate Researchers In Engineering

The Research Communication Studio at the University of South Carolina nurtures undergraduate learning in engineering through guided interaction among student peers, near-peer graduate mentors, and faculty members. The RCS bases its pedagogical approach on Dorothy Winsor’s concept of thought and knowledge as a network distributed among members of a group with shared goals. Possessing various levels and aspects of expertise, the RCS staff and students together construct knowledge by communicating their understanding—or gaps in understanding—of the participating undergraduates’ research and related deliverables during the small, weekly meetings of interdisciplinary studio groups.