The Engineering Problem Solving Process: Good For Students?

Abstract

As part of an ongoing effort to better understand student problem-solving processes to openended problems, we have coded 14 mechanical engineering projects (representing about 60 journals) according to abstraction level, design activity, planning, and reporting. We also developed quantitative outcome measures that are reported in a separate submission to this conference. We then developed a computer model of the journal data that correlates 12 key process variables to design outcomes, and conducted a computer design of experiments to extract the effects that the process variables have on the response variables (i.e., project outcomes). In this paper we report the results of this modeling effort and discuss their implications for the general model of engineering problem-solving presented in various forms in many engineering textbooks. Our results suggest modifications to the engineering problem-solving model to make it more suitable for engineering students.