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Engineering students usually generate diagrams to offload memory and information processing when they design and analyze systems. It is challenging for instructors to provide formative assessment and feedback on their diagrams and systematically and rapidly diagnosing their conceptions of a situation. This study introduces an innovative instructional method, called “pseudo peer diagram” (PPD), where students compare and contrast their work with others as a formative feedback mechanism. Fourteen students who graduated from the First Year Engineering Honors Program were asked to generate free body diagrams to interpret equilibrium in the provided systems. PPDs were presented to enable a direct comparison and to serve a metacognitive function for students who use them as feedback to practice and build up their own self-check strategies. In order to understand how individuals cognitively process PPDs, this study used think-aloud protocol to make students’ cognition explicit. This study revealed several challenges that students encountered when they used free body diagrams to interpret system equilibrium. This study also indicates the effectiveness of PPDs in externalizing students’ understanding of system equilibrium. This research is relevant to engineering instructors and researchers who want to develop students’ abilities to use cognitive strategies effectively. It may also interest engineering instructors who are willing to apply new instructional methods and tools to facilitate students to overcome complex design challenges.

Learning through an Innovative Formative Assessment Strategy: An Exploratory Study of How Engineering Students Interpret System Equilibrium