Learning and Instruction that Combine Multiple Levels of Abstraction in Engineering: Attitudes of Students and Faculty

One type of thinking needed by engineers is abstract thinking, i.e., higher-order thinking that permits one to solve problems while maneuvering between several levels of complexity (levels of abstraction). In light of the above, the Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering (Technion – Israel Institute of Technology) decided to combine two introductory courses, focusing on different levels of abstraction, into a single undergraduate course ‘‘Digital Systems and Computer Structure’’ integrating multiple levels of abstraction, i.e., logical, micro-architecture and architecture levels. The study presented here characterized the attitudes of students and course faculty toward learning and instruction that combine several levels of abstraction. The research, which used quantitative and qualitative tools, involved 103 students and eight teaching staff members. According to the findings, students hold positive attitudes toward learning that incorporates multiple levels of abstraction, both cognitively and affectively, and the correlation between the components is positive, moderate, and significant. Students argue that this type of learning is interesting, provides a complete picture of computer systems, promotes higher-order thinking, and is relevant to industry work, but is also characterized by a high cognitive load. Course faculty claim that teaching that incorporates multiple levels of abstraction is enjoyable, imparts higher-order thinking among students but is very demanding. As for the behavioral aspect, the vast majority of students and instructors prefer learning and teaching that integrate multiple levels of abstraction over those that focus on a few levels.