Improving Student Results in a Statics Course using a Computer-based Training and Assessment System

One of the main causes of desertion in engineering programs is the poor student academic performance in basic courses. One of these courses is Statics, which is taught at the undergraduate level. Between 2009 and 2011 about 30% of students did not get a satisfactory grade to pass the course and a high percentage of these students deserted from their engineering program at EAFIT University. The evolution of computer systems and the Internet progress have enabled educators to develop software to support teaching and learning processes. For instance, educational software like E-learning platforms now allow teachers and students to interact through collaborative and friendly environments that can result in improvement on student learning outcomes and therefore improvement in their final results. Various learning tools based on problem-based learning approaches have been developed for the Statics area. These systems usually pose problems for students to solve; however, the problems usually used to evaluate and certify student knowledge are different from those used by the students during their training process. This is aimed at focusing students' attention to the use of analytical skills instead of memorizing processes. This paper describes the results of using a computer system to support training and assessment processes to convey concepts related to a Statics course using an existing open source tool and implementing a dynamic assessment generation scheme (i.e., generation of multiple versions of the same problem using algorithms with variables). This system has been used in the Statics courses during two academic periods in 2012 involving the participation of 400 students. The results of this experiment are compared with performance results of students from previous years who used traditional practice and assessment methods such as solving tasks in conventional paper and pencil tests. Results have had a positive impact in student grades and retention