Studying the Effectiveness of Peer Instruction in Statics

This paper describes the peer instruction approach that was used in teaching Statics. The subject of Statics lays the foundation for subsequent courses, namely Dynamics and Mechanics of materials. Hence it becomes critical for any engineering student to understand and grasp the concepts of Statics course as it gives the students an ability to master follow-up material in upper level engineering courses. Therefore, improving learning in the subject of Engineering Statics deserves significant attention. Research shows that students who are actively engaged in learning, learn more. It was also proved that tradionally taught courses do little to improve student’s understanding of the key concepts and motivate only a few students in class. It is believed that peer instruction is an effective way to motivate students by making them teach their fellow students. This approach not only helps students learn core concepts and present it in technical language but also build their confidence. Results of this study indicated that post quiz scores improved for 71% of the students and 15% of students’ scores were 100 in both pre and post quizzes. The overall pass rate was 79% on quizzes and 79% on the final exam. ; Cockrell School of Engineering