Terri Varnado - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Terri Varnado

Research paper thumbnail of Active Learning for Engineering/Technical Graphics Online Environments

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings

Research paper thumbnail of Designing Active Learning Activities for On-line and Emerging Technology: A Report on Student’s Perceptions of the Activities and Activity Refinement

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings

Research paper thumbnail of Design without make: A feasible direction for American Technology Education

i-manager's Journal of Educational Technology

Research paper thumbnail of Design Without Make � A New Design Pedagogy For Stem Education

i-manager's Journal of Educational Technology

Research paper thumbnail of Data, Data Everywhere! Data Collection, Synthesis, and Analysis Are Important for Drawing Conclusions and Making Informed Decisions in the Realms of Society, Economics, Technology, and Politics

The Technology Teacher, Nov 1, 2009

Research paper thumbnail of An Exploration of Robot Builders' Attachment to Their LEGO Robots

Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, 2013

This research explored the emotional attachment that students might develop towards robots that t... more This research explored the emotional attachment that students might develop towards robots that they built in a 2month period, as well as the factors that contributed to their emotions towards the robots. The research studied 16 students enrolled in the robotics class in the fall 2012 semester who completed a specially-designed questionnaire. The results showed that students had strong positive emotions towards their robots. However, the students differed from typical attachment in that they had low avoidance or anxiety related to loss of the robot. In open-ended responses on the questionnaire students indicated that they would feel sad dismantling their robots, but they rationally reported the robots could be rebuilt. Reflective journal data showed that they enjoyed the building process greatly, especially when they solved challenging problems. The data suggested that students' affection for their robots was not attachment as is typically defined in human-human or human-pet relations. Limitations and further research directions were included.

Research paper thumbnail of Exploring Reflection Journals and Self-efficacy in Robotics Education

Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, 2014

Both metacognition (reflection of activities and thinking) and self-efficacy (a personal belief o... more Both metacognition (reflection of activities and thinking) and self-efficacy (a personal belief of being capable of doing something) influence learning outcomes. This study investigated metacognition using 17 students' reflection journals and the change of general self-efficacy and robotics self-efficacy (perceptions of capability regarding specific robotics related knowledge and skills) over a one-semester robotics education course. The reflection journals showed (1) the majority of students reported more frequently on what they did during the last eight weeks than the first eight weeks, as well as writing about planning and evaluation and (2) while writing about background knowledge, opinions, and learning had a decreasing trend. The survey results showed that students' robotics self-efficacy in the knowledge and skills significantly increased. The findings suggest that writing reflection journals can be a useful tool for robotics teachers in helping students practice metacognition and engage in a higher level of learning.

Research paper thumbnail of Practices of Teaching Problem Solving Skills in Robotics Education

Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, 2013

The present paper presents the practices of teaching problem solving skills in robotics education... more The present paper presents the practices of teaching problem solving skills in robotics education using LEGO® MINDSTORMS® NXT at a college level. The fundamentals, the components, and the main course design were introduced in the paper. Problem solving log data were collected from 16 undergraduate students enrolled in this course during the first eight weeks of the course. The data showed that lack of knowledge/understanding was the main cause of problems students encountered. Students most frequently used technical manuals to gather information, and used analysis to process knowledge, and mainly used trial and error to solve problems when they encountered them. Practical applications and implications were included.

Research paper thumbnail of The Effects of a Technological Problem Solving Activity on FIRST™ LEGO™ League Participants' Problem Solving Style and Performance

This study investigated the effects of a technological problem solving activity, specifically the... more This study investigated the effects of a technological problem solving activity, specifically the 2004 No Limits FIRST™ LEGO™ League Robotics Challenge, on student participants' problem solving styles and performances. Previous research suggested that problem solving styles and performances could be influenced in children who are developing cognitively. Thirtysix 9-14 year old males and females were selected from officially registered FLL teams in the Virginia Department of Education Regions 6 & 7 of Southwest Virginia. Student participants self-assessed their technological problem solving confidence, approach/avoidance styles, and personal control during said activity three times over an eight week period. Two raters directly observed four dimensions of technological problem solving (problem clarification, developing a design, modeling/prototyping, and evaluating the design solution) at four points during the same eight-week time frame. Simple ANOVA, Repeated Measures ANOVA, MANOVA, Regression Analyses, and Qualitative Analyses were used to analyze the data. Female FLL student participants aged 9-14 perceived their overall technological problem solving style no differently than did 9-14 year old males. Gender alone showed no significant differences in performance; however, without any formal training or coursework, 9-14 year old FLL student participants showed significant increases in confidence, overall technological problem solving styles, problem clarification, developing a design, evaluating a design solution, and overall technological problem solving performance in only eight weeks. Many people have supported me throughout my tenure as a doctoral student. Some very inspiring people, without whom the journey would have been considerably less rewarding, surrounded me, nurtured me, and helped me to grow to a place I never imagined I could be.

Research paper thumbnail of The Effects of a Technological Problem Solving Activity on FIRST™ LEGO™ League Participants' Problem Solving Style and Performance

... the Study FLL is a design and problem-solving competition for upper elementary and middle ...... more ... the Study FLL is a design and problem-solving competition for upper elementary and middle ... inspiring and celebrating science and technology to children aged 9 through 14, using real ... context and hands-on experimentation” (US FIRST™, 2004b, What is FIRST LEGO League, 2 ...

Research paper thumbnail of Active Learning for Engineering/Technical Graphics Online Environments

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings

Research paper thumbnail of Designing Active Learning Activities for On-line and Emerging Technology: A Report on Student’s Perceptions of the Activities and Activity Refinement

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings

Research paper thumbnail of Design without make: A feasible direction for American Technology Education

i-manager's Journal of Educational Technology

Research paper thumbnail of Design Without Make � A New Design Pedagogy For Stem Education

i-manager's Journal of Educational Technology

Research paper thumbnail of Data, Data Everywhere! Data Collection, Synthesis, and Analysis Are Important for Drawing Conclusions and Making Informed Decisions in the Realms of Society, Economics, Technology, and Politics

The Technology Teacher, Nov 1, 2009

Research paper thumbnail of An Exploration of Robot Builders' Attachment to Their LEGO Robots

Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, 2013

This research explored the emotional attachment that students might develop towards robots that t... more This research explored the emotional attachment that students might develop towards robots that they built in a 2month period, as well as the factors that contributed to their emotions towards the robots. The research studied 16 students enrolled in the robotics class in the fall 2012 semester who completed a specially-designed questionnaire. The results showed that students had strong positive emotions towards their robots. However, the students differed from typical attachment in that they had low avoidance or anxiety related to loss of the robot. In open-ended responses on the questionnaire students indicated that they would feel sad dismantling their robots, but they rationally reported the robots could be rebuilt. Reflective journal data showed that they enjoyed the building process greatly, especially when they solved challenging problems. The data suggested that students' affection for their robots was not attachment as is typically defined in human-human or human-pet relations. Limitations and further research directions were included.

Research paper thumbnail of Exploring Reflection Journals and Self-efficacy in Robotics Education

Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, 2014

Both metacognition (reflection of activities and thinking) and self-efficacy (a personal belief o... more Both metacognition (reflection of activities and thinking) and self-efficacy (a personal belief of being capable of doing something) influence learning outcomes. This study investigated metacognition using 17 students' reflection journals and the change of general self-efficacy and robotics self-efficacy (perceptions of capability regarding specific robotics related knowledge and skills) over a one-semester robotics education course. The reflection journals showed (1) the majority of students reported more frequently on what they did during the last eight weeks than the first eight weeks, as well as writing about planning and evaluation and (2) while writing about background knowledge, opinions, and learning had a decreasing trend. The survey results showed that students' robotics self-efficacy in the knowledge and skills significantly increased. The findings suggest that writing reflection journals can be a useful tool for robotics teachers in helping students practice metacognition and engage in a higher level of learning.

Research paper thumbnail of Practices of Teaching Problem Solving Skills in Robotics Education

Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, 2013

The present paper presents the practices of teaching problem solving skills in robotics education... more The present paper presents the practices of teaching problem solving skills in robotics education using LEGO® MINDSTORMS® NXT at a college level. The fundamentals, the components, and the main course design were introduced in the paper. Problem solving log data were collected from 16 undergraduate students enrolled in this course during the first eight weeks of the course. The data showed that lack of knowledge/understanding was the main cause of problems students encountered. Students most frequently used technical manuals to gather information, and used analysis to process knowledge, and mainly used trial and error to solve problems when they encountered them. Practical applications and implications were included.

Research paper thumbnail of The Effects of a Technological Problem Solving Activity on FIRST™ LEGO™ League Participants' Problem Solving Style and Performance

This study investigated the effects of a technological problem solving activity, specifically the... more This study investigated the effects of a technological problem solving activity, specifically the 2004 No Limits FIRST™ LEGO™ League Robotics Challenge, on student participants' problem solving styles and performances. Previous research suggested that problem solving styles and performances could be influenced in children who are developing cognitively. Thirtysix 9-14 year old males and females were selected from officially registered FLL teams in the Virginia Department of Education Regions 6 & 7 of Southwest Virginia. Student participants self-assessed their technological problem solving confidence, approach/avoidance styles, and personal control during said activity three times over an eight week period. Two raters directly observed four dimensions of technological problem solving (problem clarification, developing a design, modeling/prototyping, and evaluating the design solution) at four points during the same eight-week time frame. Simple ANOVA, Repeated Measures ANOVA, MANOVA, Regression Analyses, and Qualitative Analyses were used to analyze the data. Female FLL student participants aged 9-14 perceived their overall technological problem solving style no differently than did 9-14 year old males. Gender alone showed no significant differences in performance; however, without any formal training or coursework, 9-14 year old FLL student participants showed significant increases in confidence, overall technological problem solving styles, problem clarification, developing a design, evaluating a design solution, and overall technological problem solving performance in only eight weeks. Many people have supported me throughout my tenure as a doctoral student. Some very inspiring people, without whom the journey would have been considerably less rewarding, surrounded me, nurtured me, and helped me to grow to a place I never imagined I could be.

Research paper thumbnail of The Effects of a Technological Problem Solving Activity on FIRST™ LEGO™ League Participants' Problem Solving Style and Performance

... the Study FLL is a design and problem-solving competition for upper elementary and middle ...... more ... the Study FLL is a design and problem-solving competition for upper elementary and middle ... inspiring and celebrating science and technology to children aged 9 through 14, using real ... context and hands-on experimentation” (US FIRST™, 2004b, What is FIRST LEGO League, 2 ...