Leveraging a Token Economy System to Motivate Concept Practice in a Fluid Dynamics Classroom

Abstract

This case study implements a token economy (TE) to guide and motivate chemical engineering undergraduates in a fluid dynamics course to revisit concepts during a semester. In a TE, students acquire tokens by fulfilling class participation standards and exchange tokens to purchase rewards. One type of reward available to students is assignment resubmission, which allows students to practice identifying their original error(s) and explaining how their revision resolved the error(s). The TE’s influence on student learning experience is assessed around motivation to revisit assignments, time commitment to the class, and approach for completing assignments knowing that resubmissions were available.