Learning Together in CBL

Project introduction and background information

In engineering education, the development of epistemic beliefs—students’ beliefs about the nature, source, certainty, and justification of knowledge—plays a crucial role in shaping learning, problem-solving, ethical reasoning, and disciplinary identity. Despite their significance, these beliefs remain understudied and poorly measured in engineering contexts. Existing assessment instruments have shown limitations in validity, theoretical coherence, and disciplinary specificity.

Drawing from educational philosophy and engineering-specific contexts,  we systematically reviewed existing tools, designed and piloted a new context-specific questionnaire, and used students reflections to explore how epistemic beliefs intersect with ethical reasoning, disciplinary identity, and team-based learning. 

Objective and expected outcomes

• Conceptual and Empirical Gap Identification: Conduct a systematic literature review to map the current landscape of instruments measuring epistemic beliefs in engineering, highlighting limitations and gaps in validation and theoretical alignment.
• Instrument Development: Conceptualise and pilot an engineering-specific epistemic beliefs questionnaire, rooted in Creswell’s research paradigms and refined through student focus groups, expert validation, and quantitative factor analysis.
• Understanding Epistemic Development in CBL: Investigate how engineering students’ epistemic beliefs evolve in CBL contexts through ethnographic observation and reflective prompts, focusing on how students negotiate epistemic tensions in interdisciplinary teamwork.

Results and learnings

• Observations from classroom sessions confirmed that CBL generates epistemic tensions, particularly in interdisciplinary team settings where students encounter conflicting knowledge claims and various stakeholder expectations.
• No validated tools currently measure engineering-specific epistemology with theoretical rigor and contextual sensitivity.
• A new questionnaire was developed, drawing on Creswell’s four research paradigms (post-positivist, constructivist, pragmatist, transformative), and adapted to the engineering context through four epistemic dimensions: knowledge production, nature of knowledge, goal of knowledge, and professional role.
• Ethical reasoning and epistemic beliefs were found to be intertwined; students who view knowledge as fluid and context-dependent are more likely to be open to discussing different ethical standpoints. 

Recommendations

• Research: Future research should continue validating the new instrument across contexts, disciplines, and student demographics. Mixed-method approaches combining reflections and quantitative analysis offer a richer understanding of epistemic beliefs. 
• Educators should connect epistemic beliefs with engineering identity and teamwork. Awareness of epistemic diversity in teams can enhance collaboration and communication.

Practical outcomes

• New Instrument: A validated pilot version of a questionnaire designed to measure engineering students’ epistemic beliefs in CBL settings.