Progression of student solutions over the course of a Model-Eliciting Activity (MEA)

This study is part of a larger project that focuses on the use of Model-Eliciting Activities (MEAs) as a means of developing problem-solving skills among first-year engineering students. The MEA used for this study required the development of a model that uses both mathematical and statistical measures to help an end user reach a decision. Each team ultimately produced two drafts of their solution and a final product. Between the drafts, the students had the opportunity to review sample solutions, give and receive peer feedback, and receive feedback from their graduate teaching assistants. A sample of 50 teams was randomly selected and each of their pieces of work was analyzed for types of mathematics and statistics used. The purpose of this paper is not to assess the quality of the students´ work, but to examine the patterns of change across the three versions of the student-developed models produced over the course of the MEA implementation.