Innovative Methods and Practices of Academic Writing and Writing Instruction
WRITTEN PEER FEEDBACK: INITIATING PROCESSES OF THINKING AND LEARNING IN A MATHEMATICALLYORIENTED COURSE FOR PROCESS ENGINEERS
Nadine Stahlberg¹, Stefan Mosler², Michael Schlüter³
¹Hamburg University of Technology, Germany ²Hamburg University of Technology, Germany ³Hamburg University of Technology, Germany
In engineering, students commonly write very little compared to other disciplines. However, writing has to be seen as an important component of learning processes (Britton et al. 1975, Emig 1977, NSSE 2008). Especially in the fields of engineering and sciences, we see a great potential to engage writing to consolidate subjectspecific skills. Consequently, at Hamburg University of Technology, we aim at increasing writing assignments and using writing as a learning tool in various contexts. In our presentation we would like to share our ideas on how to enhance writing in engineering classes and develop mathematical thinking and understanding through writing. We will introduce you to a writing assignment that we designed for a mathematicallyoriented course for process engineers. In the 2 hour master lecture “Computational Fluid Dynamics in Process Engineering”, we conducted a written peer feedback assignment. The assignment was based on mathematical exercises that were designed in a way that motivated students to write little texts rather than merely do computations. Also, we will present the results of a students’ evaluation that we conducted at the end of term. What do engineering students think of implementing written peer feedback in a mathematicallyoriented class? Was the assignment useful to them? Which impact did the assignment have on the students’ motivation to solve the math exercises? Finally, we will address the benefits as well as the difficulties of implementing writing in a mathematicallyoriented course for engineers.
References
Britton, J. et al. (1975) The development of writing abilities . London: Macmillan Education.
Emig, J. (1977) Writing as a Mode of Learning. College Composition and Communication. 28 (2), May. p.122128. National Survey of Student Engagement 2008 (NSSE). [Online] Available from: th http://nsse.iub.edu/ [Accessed 13 January 2015].