Understanding the Impact of Product Characteristics on Groups' Collaboration During a Dissection Task

Background: Experiential design opportunities are valuable for helping engineering students realize three-dimensional implications of theoretical concepts taught in the classroom. However, research on effective hands-on task design in the context of undergraduate group problem solving is relatively limited. While some tasks may include three-dimensional representation of task content, there is still much to be understood about how hands-on tasks influence studentsrsquo; collaboration. Purpose/Hypothesis: To understand the impact of product characteristics on learning outcomes for undergraduate engineering students during a collaborative dissection task, we observed 16 students for collaboration quality as they worked in groups of four to reverse-engineer products through physical deconstruction and modeling in computer-aided design (CAD). Design/Method: We used a multiple-case study format to qualitatively analyze the groups. Ethnographic observations were recorded during three dissection sessions for each group. To understand groupsrsquo; experiences during the task, we coded our observations for behaviors that included collaborating versus going off-task, tendency to interact verbally, dividing into subgroups versus working as a whole group, and engaging in dissection and other physical interaction with the product. Results: We observed that dissection product characteristics impacted group collaboration, which in turn may have influenced the quality of their final modeling scores. These findings are supported by a positive relationship between participation in dissection and task scores. Conclusions: The study indicates that task products can impact the quality of collaboration and, in turn, studentsrsquo; performance. More specifically, the nuances imposed by product characteristics can directly impact group interactions. Task products should be selected with attention to how characteristics may impact studentsrsquo; opportunities to engage and interact.