Instructional Changes Adopted for an Engineering Course: Cluster Analysis on Academic Failure.

Area of Science:

• Educational Technology
• Computer Science Education

Background:

• First-year students from diverse backgrounds require accessible foundational skills.
• Technical courses present challenges in transferring essential knowledge effectively.
• Metaphors can aid understanding of complex or unknown concepts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if metaphors accelerate basic knowledge acquisition in technical courses.
• To assess the impact of using metaphors on student learning and failure rates.
• To evaluate a shift from propositional to a metaphor-based teaching model.

Main Methods:

• Implemented a teaching methodology incorporating metaphors and abstract concepts in a computer organization course.
• Conducted a longitudinal study over 11 academic years (2002-2013) with 475 observations.
• Utilized cluster analysis to compare student performance before and after the methodological change.

Main Results:

• Cluster analysis revealed two distinct student performance groups, correlating with the 'before' and 'after' use of metaphors.
• Data indicated a favorable evolution in student achievement over the study period.
• A reduction in failure rates was observed, not only in the target course but also in advanced courses.

Conclusions:

• Metaphor-driven instruction effectively accelerates the acquisition of foundational knowledge in technical engineering degrees.
• This pedagogical approach enhances student self-esteem and positively impacts academic success.
• The shift to a dynamic, metaphor-based learning model demonstrably improves learning outcomes and reduces attrition.