Application of Paired Problem Solving for Effective Identification of Misconceptions

In engineering education, most courses have numerical problems and complex concepts that need to be applied. Students sometimes find it difficult to apply the concepts in numerical problems and subsequently end up performing poorly in examinations. Timely feedback on numerical problems solved by the students will address this. A systematic understanding of student misunderstandings and misconceptions is likely to lead to improved effectiveness in learning. TAPPS (Think Aloud Paired Problem Solving) is one of the best practices in engineering education and provides an opportunity for students to solve problems collectively by thinking and sharing their individual thoughts and ideas. When the instructor is involved as a keen observer the student misconceptions can be documented comprehensively enabling the instructor to address the problem in a timely manner. TAPPS also provides ample scope for educators to identify individual thinking processes and understanding patterns and therefore enables them to guide the students towards the correct approach to problem solving. This article describes a case study of an implementation of TAPPS with a dialogue conducted for undergraduate electrical engineering students in the third year.