Debugging (or troubleshooting) provides a rich context to foster problem-solving. Yet, while we know much about some problems and strategies that novices face in programming on-screen, we know far less about debugging and troubleshooting in the context of physical computing, where coding issues may overlap with materially embedded problems. In…

Interacting with objects in virtual reality can be an exciting experience. Haptic feedback allows virtual environments to appear more immersive. Does this increased immersion bear the potential to enhance learning if used properly in educational VR environments? This dissertation pursued two goals. First, to investigate the relationship between…

Undergraduate Research (UR) is a high-impact practice that results in positive outcomes for participants, such as improved academic skills and intellectual development as well as higher graduation rates and graduate school attendance. This research project compares the UR participation patterns of students with learning disabilities (LD) and their…

Digital learning resources are commonly employed to support learning in out-of-class contexts, either as a complement to the learning in formal classrooms or as an alternative that can be used by learners to pursue personal learning goals. This study identified a significant gap in the literature concerning children's use of digital technology to…

Background: Traditional survey efforts to gather outcome data at scale have significant limitations, including cost, time, and respondent burden. This pilot study explored new and innovative large-scale methods of collecting and validating data from publicly available sources. Taking advantage of emerging data science techniques, we leverage…

University students, faculty, and staff from science, engineering, education, entrepreneurship, and design (SEE(E)D) backgrounds developed a video game to leverage outreach efforts promoting sustainability, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics ((S)STEM) to underserved students. This was accomplished by transforming a board…

Many interesting research and design questions occur at the intersections of traditional disciplines, yet most coursework and research programs for undergraduate engineering students are focused on one discipline. This leads to underutilization of the potential in better preparing students through multidisciplinary projects. Identifying this…

Educational robotics proposes the use of robots as a teaching resource that enables inexperienced students to approach topics in fields unrelated to robotics. In recent years, these activities have grown substantially in elementary and secondary school classrooms and also in outreach experiences to interest students in science, technology,…