Fostering an Enriching Learning Experience: A Multisite Investigation of the Effects of Desktop Learning Modules on Students' Learning Experiences in Engineering Classrooms

Several studies have demonstrated that active learning methods prime students to learn better in the classrooms. As part of an initiative to advance efforts to promote active learning facilitated using hands-on learning modules, we have been conducting research on the effects of desktop learning modules (DLMs) on the learning experiences of students in engineering classrooms. We reported the effect of using DLMs on students’ motivations and learning strategies skills at the ASEE 2015 conference. However, in this follow-up study, we report a multi-site implementation of DLMs on the learning experiences of a different cohort of students. We examined the robustness of the effects of using DLMs on student learning motivation and learning strategies across multiple learning contexts. We also examined their effect in situational interest development in the classroom. Using data from 50 participants, this paper reports the effects of DLM-facilitated instruction on students learning experience. Participants were undergraduate students who enrolled in heat transfer courses in two universities in the United States. Participants first learned concepts of heat transfer using DLMs and then took inventories of motivation and situational interest. Results of the analyses showed similarities in DLM effect on students’ motivation and use of learning strategies across the two universities. We found no significant difference in gender across participants. The paper concludes with a discussion of effects of the implementation of DLM on situational interest development with participants across the two universities.