Impacts of learning inventive problem-solving principles: students’ transition from systematic searching to heuristic problem solving

This paper presents the outcomes of teaching an inventive problem-solving course in junior high schools in an attempt to deal with the current relative neglect of fostering students’ creativity and problem-solving capabilities in traditional schooling. The method involves carrying out systematic manipulation with attributes, functions and relationships between existing components and variables in a system. The 2-year research study comprised 112 students in the experimental group and 100 students in the control group. The findings indicated that in the post-course exam, the participants suggested a significantly greater number of original and useful solutions to problems presented to them compared to the pre-course exam and to the control group. The course also increased students’ self-beliefs about creativity. Although at the beginning of the course, the students adhered to ‘systematic searching’ using the inventive problem-solving principles they had learned, later on they moved to ‘semi-structured’ and heuristic problem solving, which deals with using strategies, techniques, rules-of-thumb or educated guessing in the problem-solving process. It is important to note, however, that teaching the proposed method in school should take place in the context of engaging students in challenging tasks and open-ended projects that encourage students to develop their ideas. There is only little benefit in merely teaching students inventive problem-solving principles and letting them solve discrete pre-designed exercises.     

Experiences of Two Problem-oriented Courses in Civil Engineering

Current engineering courses are not structured to develop real problem-solving skills in their students. They rely on a bottom-up approach to learning, where the first three years is spend mostly on theory, with almost no practice at problem definition. Instead, the students spend most of their time solving carefully designed exercises. Real-world problems are not as neatly packaged as these exercises, and, as a consequence, graduate engineers often lack the problem-definition and problem-recognition skills that are essential if the theory they have learned is to be useful to them. On the contrary, a problem-oriented course requires the students to develop those problem recognition skills. It also is intended to develop student-directed learning, and group and communication skills. A problem-oriented approach was used in 1991 in two second-year courses in civil engineering—surveying and computing. The courses were well received by the students, and the average exam result for surveying showed a noticeable improvement, while the average exam result for computing showed a marginal improvement. (There were, however, other encouraging signs in the computing course.) The author believes that the difference in response between the two subjects is due to the difference between working in groups and working individually, and a course change for the computing subject for 1992 is proposed.     

Sequential assessment of engineering design projects at university level

Seven years of industrial experience followed by 30 years of academic research and teaching in structural engineering have led the author to believe that the prime objective of a university design course is not the design project itself but to train students to solve problems, as this will last them throughout their careers. It is shown how design projects can be formulated for the purpose of encouraging students to develop their problem-solving abilities. More importantly, a sequential assessment technique has been developed to quantify the students’ ability to both think and learn as well as the students’ grasp of the fundamental principles, all of which are required in problem-solving.     

Challenges in teaching modern manufacturing technologies

Teaching of manufacturing courses for undergraduate engineering students has become a challenge due to industrial globalisation coupled with influx of new innovations, technologies, customer-driven products. This paper discusses development of a modern manufacturing course taught concurrently in three institutions where students collaborate in executing various projects. Lectures are developed to contain materials featuring advanced manufacturing technologies, R&D trends in manufacturing. Pre- and post-surveys were conducted by an external evaluator to assess the impact of the course on increase in student's knowledge of manufacturing; increase students’ preparedness and confidence in effective communication and; increase students’ interest in pursuing additional academic studies and/or a career path in manufacturing and high technology. The surveyed data indicate that the students perceived significant gains in manufacturing knowledge and preparedness in effective communication. The study also shows that implementation of a collaborative course within multiple institutions requires a robust and collective communication platform.     

Projects in Technology Education and Fostering Learning: The Potential and Its Realization

The current study aimed at examining the efficacy of technological projects as learning tools by exploring the following questions: the extent to which projects in technology develop students as independent learners; the types of knowledge the students deal with in working on their projects; the role of problem-solving in technological projects; and how projects integrate into traditional schooling. The subjects were 53 high school (12th grade) students who prepared graduating projects in technology under the supervision of nine teachers. Data were collected by observing the students in the laboratory, administrating two questionnaires to both the students and the teachers, and analyzing 25 portfolios prepared by the students of their projects. The findings indicate that projects in technology provide a good opportunity to engage students in challenging tasks that enhance their learning skills. To maximize this potential, it is necessary to employ the project method from the early stages of learning technology. It is especially important that teachers having a strong engineering orientation also acquire pedagogical knowledge on issues such as fostering independent learning, creativity, peer learning and reflective practice in the technological classroom.     

Graduate engineers' perceptions of their engineering courses: Comparison between enhanced engineering courses and their conventional counterparts

The Dainton enhanced engineering courses were designed to produce engineers who would be better prepared for careers in manufacturing management than their counterparts from conventional engineering programmes. As part of a large scale evaluation of these courses, the views of 167 students and 220 graduates of the programmes were compared with those of a control group of 353 students from conventional engineering courses. Respondents were asked for their opinions of 19 course elements in terms of the amount of time devoted to each as a preparation for a career as a professional engineer in industry.In general, enhanced students viewed their courses more favourably than students from conventional courses. Thus, over half of the conventional students criticised their courses for a lack of business and management material, compared with less than one in five enhanced students. There were few differences between the two groups in their views about the technical content of their courses. Criticisms about insufficient time being devoted to CADCAM, Engineering Practice, and Engineering Applications were common in students from both types of course. The views of enhanced graduates, who had up to five years' work experience post graduation, were similar to those of the undergraduates. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for engineering education in general.     

LEGO Mindstorms在农业信息与自动化技术课程教学中的应用研究

为了培养农业与生物系统工程类学生的创新能力,引导学生进行自主、探究式学习,在精细农业等农业信息和自动化技术类课程教学中应用LEGO Mindstorms组件作为教具,研制智能化可编程农机作业模拟系统。多组学生在Robolab编程环境下,使用此系统构建小型智能农业机械模型。结果表明,学生对这个实验项目的效果很满意。因为它不仅为学生提供了解决问题的技巧,提高了他们编程和机械设计等相关技能,同时有益于学生间形成团队协作的良好氛围。介绍了LEGO Mindstorms在相关农业信息课程教学中的探索应用以及实验结果。     

新工科背景下综合性实践训练环节改革与探索

新工科背景下,适应制造业新形势的传统机械工程专业的改革与创新,一个重要方面就是课程体系重构与课程建设,其中制造与信息技术相融合的实践环节在培养学生综合实践能力方面具有重要作用。论文以面向本校全体机械工程专业本科生的一门综合性实践训练课程--机械制造训练为例,从融合多门课程知识的训练内容,"线上与线下"相结合、"虚拟与实际"相结合、全流程管理的训练方式,以及两个层次的训练结果考核和基于量规的训练效果评价等方面,探讨面向新工科的实践环节建设改革与创新。     

Teaching sustainable entrepreneurship to engineering students: the case of Delft University of Technology

Sustainability, enhancement of personal skills, social aspects of technology, management and entrepreneurship are of increasing concern for engineers and therefore for engineering education. In 1996 at Delft University of Technology this led to the introduction of a subject on sustainable entrepreneurship and technology in the course programmes of Chemical Engineering and Materials Sciences Engineering. This subject combines lectures, project work in which a business plan is written, sustainability and presentation training. This paper shows that it has been possible to combine entrepreneurship, sustainability and project education successfully in a subject for undergraduate engineering students and describes background, assumptions, outline, results and recent adjustments of this subject. It includes a discussion on how to integrate sustainability and entrepreneurship in terms of triple P (People, Profit, Planet) and how to incorporate it pragmatically in the key elements of a business plan: (1) business idea, mission and strategy; (2) context, stakeholder and market analysis; (3) marketing; (4) production; (5) organisation and management; (6) finance and reporting. Attention is paid to results regarding the business plan, spin-off like start-ups and also to the learning results of both students and lecturers. It ends drawing some lessons derived from the subject’s results and the learning experiences of both students and lecturers.     

Renovation of a mechanical engineering senior design class to an industry-tied and team-oriented course

In this work, an industry-based and team-oriented education model was established based on a traditional mechanical engineering (ME) senior design class in order to better prepare future engineers and leaders so as to meet the increasing demand for high-quality engineering graduates. In the renovated curriculum, industry-sponsored projects became the most important course component and critical assessment tool, from which problem-solving skills as well as employability skills of the ME students can be fully developed. Hands-on experiences in finite element analysis (FEA) modelling and simulation were also added into the renovated curriculum to promote the application of FEA on engineering design and assessment. Evaluation of the renovated course was conducted using two instruments and the results have shown that the course made the ME senior students more prepared for their future career and a win–win model was created between the industry partner and the ME programme through it. Impact of the renovated syllabus on Accreditation Board for Engineering Technology goals was discussed. Based on the current progress, a more substantial change is being planned to further improve the effectiveness and practicability of this design course. The renovated course was started to offer to the ME senior students at Mississippi State University.     

Design and Application of Interactive Simulations in Problem-Solving in University-Level Physics Education

In recent years, interactive computer simulations have been progressively integrated in the teaching of the sciences and have contributed significant improvements in the teaching–learning process. Practicing problem-solving is a key factor in science and engineering education. The aim of this study was to design simulation-based problem-solving teaching materials and assess their effectiveness in improving students’ ability to solve problems in university-level physics. Firstly, we analyze the effect of using simulation-based materials in the development of students’ skills in employing procedures that are typically used in the scientific method of problem-solving. We found that a significant percentage of the experimental students used expert-type scientific procedures such as qualitative analysis of the problem, making hypotheses, and analysis of results. At the end of the course, only a minority of the students persisted with habits based solely on mathematical equations. Secondly, we compare the effectiveness in terms of problem-solving of the experimental group students with the students who are taught conventionally. We found that the implementation of the problem-solving strategy improved experimental students’ results regarding obtaining a correct solution from the academic point of view, in standard textbook problems. Thirdly, we explore students’ satisfaction with simulation-based problem-solving teaching materials and we found that the majority appear to be satisfied with the methodology proposed and took on a favorable attitude to learning problem-solving. The research was carried out among first-year Engineering Degree students.     

Collaborative Teaching and Learning through Multi‐Institutional Integrated Group Projects

This teaching brief describes an innovative multi‐institutional initiative through which integrated student groups from different courses collaborate on a common course project. In this integrated group project, students are asked to design a decentralized manufacturing organization for a company that will manufacture industrial Proton‐Exchange Membrane fuel cells. The groups include students from supply chain management, production planning and scheduling, and facility layout and design courses. Empirical results from the implementation suggest that students responded positively to the integrated experience. Lastly, the article presents implementation strategies for multi‐institutional group projects based on the experiences gained through the collaborative experience.     

Case study of a problem-based learning course of project management for senior engineering students

The analysis of the current state of the Ukrainian system of engineering education indicates the prevalence of traditional teaching–learning approaches in contrast to the modern needs of the labour market. Many universities across the world use the problem/project-based learning (PBL) which is an effective approach for the development of design and management skills of engineering students. The paper describes a detailed structure of a PBL course in project management and practical experience related to its implementation in an engineering degree programme at Bohdan Khmelnytsky National University of Cherkasy. Also, the results of surveys carried out in order to study the students’ generic competences’ development and perception of the PBL process are presented. The results show that students understand the diversity of PBL aspects and the influence of the PBL approach on their professional characteristics such as teamwork, ability of self-directed learning, communication and problem-solving skills.     

工科毕业设计指导教师的作用及其对学习投入与学习成效的影响

经济增长模式转型要求工科人才培养的转型升级.毕业设计作为工科人才走向工作岗位或继续深造前最重要的工程实践与综合素质的锻炼平台,是培养创新实践人才的关键环节.如何优化毕业设计过程,充分发挥指导教师的作用从而实现毕业设计的教学目标是本科工科人才培育的改革重点.本研究整合了教师角色的相关理论,聚焦教师角色与作用,从教师专业素...     

Teaching problem solving: Don't forget the problem solver(s)

The importance of intrapersonal and interpersonal intelligences has long been known but educators have debated whether to and how to incorporate those topics in an already crowded engineering curriculum. In 2010, the authors used the classroom as a laboratory to observe the usefulness of including selected case studies and exercises from the fields of neurology, artificial intelligence, cognitive sciences and social psychology in a new problem-solving course. To further validate their initial findings, in 2012, the authors conducted an online survey of engineering students and engineers. The main conclusion is that engineering students will benefit from learning more about the impact of emotions, culture, diversity and cognitive biases when solving problems. Specifically, the work shows that an augmented problem-solving curriculum needs to include lessons on labelling emotions and cognitive biases, ‘evidence-based’ data on the importance of culture and diversity and additional practice on estimating conditional probability.     

On the design of learning outcomes for the undergraduate engineer's final year project

The course for the final year project for engineering students, because of its strongly research-based, open-ended format, tends to not have well defined learning outcomes, which are also not aligned with any accepted pedagogical philosophy or learning technology. To address this problem, the revised Bloom's taxonomy table of Anderson and Krathwohl (2001) is utilised, as suggested previously by Lee and Lai (2007), to design new learning outcomes for the final year project course in engineering education. Based on the expectations of the engineering graduate, and integrating these graduate expectations into the six cognitive processes and four knowledge dimensions of the taxonomy table, 24 learning outcomes have been designed. It is proposed that these 24 learning outcomes be utilised as a suitable working template to inspire more critical evaluation of what is expected to be learnt by engineering students undertaking final year research or capstone projects.     

Students’ perceptions of the flipped classroom model in an engineering course: a case study

The flipped classroom model is an innovative educational trend that has been widely adopted in the social sciences but not engineering education. In this model, an active instructional approach shifts the educational strategy from a teacher- to a student-centred approach. The purpose of this study is to compare the learning outcomes of engineering students attending a flipped-model section of the Dynamics of Structures course with students attending a traditional, lecture-based section of the same course taught by the same instructor. The results confirm previous research showing that test scores in the flipped course sections were slightly higher than traditional sections. Although the improvement in test scores was statistically insignificant, student statements indicated that the flipped model promoted a deeper, broader perspective on learning, facilitated problem-solving strategies and improved critical-thinking abilities, self-confidence and teamwork skills, which are needed for a successful engineering career.     

How handwriting behaviors during problem solving are related to problem-solving success in an engineering course

If we carefully observe the spatial and temporal organization of students' pen strokes as they solve an engineering problem, can we predict their ability to achieve the correct answer? To address this question, 122 college students were asked to solve exam problems in an engineering course using a smartpen that recorded their writing as digitized timestamped pen strokes. The pen stroke data was used to compute a collection of 10 metrics characterizing various elements of problem-solving fluency including the tendency to progress down the page without revisions, the amount of time with no activity, and the frequency of constructing and using equations. The primary finding is that, on average across 13 different exam problems, these elements of problem-solving process explained 40% of the variance in scores of the correctness of the problem solution. In short, success on generating correct solutions was related to the fluency of the student's problem-solving process (i.e., working sequentially from the top to the bottom of the page, working without detours or long pauses, and working by constructing equations). This work is consistent with the idea that expertise in solving common engineering problems involves being able to treat them like routine rather than non-routine problems.