Development And Evaluation Of A Teaching Concept That Focuses On Increasing Modeling Competence In Technical Mechanics (TM)

Engineering students often learn by retracing pre-calculated given solutions of tasks and try to understand this problem-solving way. This reconstruction is not always successful in solving new types of problem via modified tasks (Rossow 2008). Every mechanical exercise follows the same solution methodology (Müller-Slany 2018). Applying this basic problem-solving structure correctly is a Pre-condition for solution's reflection and is therefore essential for teaching. To improve these competencies a strategy training is implemented in exercise-settings in Technical Mechanics (TM). By solving in separated model steps pre-structured exercises with differences in depth of structure and always visualizing these steps, the awareness and applying of each step should be increased. This research approach aims to investigate the effects of explicit strategy training on the problem-solving skills of engineering students in TM in an experimental design. Research Questions are: what influence does the strategy training have on the knowledge and recognition of the model? What influence does this training have on correct application of this methodology? What influence does this application have on the correct solution of tasks? As part of a quantitative analysis a self-constructed test for measuring the modeling recognition in Multiple Choice format as well as a competence test to evaluate the application of the problem-solving model were implemented and tested. First results of the research design and the intervention itself are presented.