Title:	A VALIDATION STUDY OF A METHODOLOGY FOR ASSESSING PROGRESS OF LEARNING AND COMPLEX, ILL-STRUCTURED PROBLEM SOLVING IN STEM DOMAINS
Author(s):	Deniz Eseryel , Dirk Ifenthaler , Xun Ge
ISBN:	978-972-8924-95-9
Editors:	Kinshuk, Demetrios G Sampson, J. Michael Spector,Pedro Isaías and Dirk Ifenthaler
Year:	2009
Edition:	Single
Keywords:	Assessment, complex learning, causal diagram, complex learning, complex ill-structured problem solving, STEM
Type:	Short Paper
First Page:	363
Last Page:	368
Language:	English
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Paper Abstract:	The important but little understood problem that motivated this study was the lack of a reliable assessment method to determine progress in higher-order learning in situations involving complex and ill-structured problems. Without a reliable assessment method, little progress can occur in instructional design research with regard to designing effective learning environments to facilitate acquisition of expertise in complex, ill-structured knowledge domains such as STEM. In this paper, we first present a methodology based on causal representations for assessing progress of learning in complex, ill-structured problem solving in STEM Domains and discuss its theoretical framework. In addition, we present an experimental study cross-validate this assessment methodology against protocol analysis (cf. Ericsson & Simon, 1993). This study explored the impact of a massively multiplayer online educational game, which was designed to support an interdisciplinary STEM education, on ninth-grade students' complex, ill-structured problem solving skill acquisition. We identify conceptual similarities and differences between the two methodologies, present our comparative study and the results, and then discuss implications for diagnostics and applications. We conclude by determining how the two approaches could be used in conjunction for further research on complex and ill-structured problem solv
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