Writing-to-Learn in Introductory Materials Science and Engineering

Writing to Learn (WTL) enables students to apply content knowledge to "real-world" situations via writing, which promotes deeper thinking and compels students to explain concepts in their own words. The subsequent peer review and revision processes provide additional learning opportunities as the students give and receive feedback and critically assess their work. In this poster, we describe the impact of writing‐to‐learn (WTL) on promoting conceptual understanding of introductory materials science and engineering, including crystal structures, stress‐strain behavior, phase diagrams, and corrosion. Using pre/post assessments and analysis of writing products, we examine student gains in conceptual understanding and critical reasoning. Our research suggests that WTL assignment was effective in promoting understanding of microscopic properties to macroscopic behavior. For all draft submissions (following the peer review stage), writing fellows provide rigorous written feedback to the students. This additional intervention provides a scaffolded review process in which students receive directed feedback and reinforcement on how to better align with assignment expectations and goals. We also investigate the effects of this additional intervention on student learning.