Homework Problems as Epistemic Agents: Unpacking Students' Problem-Solving Approaches in a Technical Engineering Class

Abstract Although lecture-based courses are common for teaching technical material to undergraduate engineering majors, it is well documented that they are not the best way for students to learn. However, significant barriers to change prevent many lecturers from transitioning towards research-based educational practices. A closer look at how students interact with and learn from homework problems — seen as a major influence of learning methodology to students — may help circumvent this tension by uncovering opportunities for accessible changes. In this paper, I qualitatively examine student problem solving paths through a situative lens: exploring the tension of agency between students, homework problems, and class norms, and characterizing under-researched strategies associated with learning in a technical class. Furthermore, I focus on how and when students use problems as epistemic agents. Seven students who were enrolled in a thermal-fluids class at a university in the northeast US were each asked to solve two problems in a think-aloud interview. Thematic analysis of video recordings and student work products was conducted. In addition to student approaches that align with existing literature, I observed instances of students interacting with homework problems as though they were epistemic agents. Viewed through the cultural pulls of technical classes and the allocation of agency in both learning and problem solving, this finding can both help educators understand their students' approaches and serve as a warning for the implications of current teaching methods.