Developing Problem Solving Skills: The McMaster Problem Solving Program

TLDR

This paper reports a 25‑year project that defined problem solving, identified effective teaching methods, implemented four required courses, and evaluated the program’s impact. The program delivers 120 hours of workshops across four courses, using content‑independent activities that are built, bridged to chemical engineering, and extended to other contexts, with assessments (TEPS) and self‑assessment, and research identified which teaching methods succeed or fail. Students need both chemical‑engineering knowledge and general problem‑solving skills, and the study identified 37 such general skills.

Abstract

Abstract This paper describes a 25‐year project in which we defined problem solving, identified effective methods for developing students' skill in problem solving, implemented a series of four required courses to develop the skill, and evaluated the effectiveness of the program. Four research projects are summarized in which we identified which teaching methods failed to develop problem solving skill and which methods were successful in developing the skills. We found that students need both comprehension of Chemical Engineering and what we call general problem solving skill to solve problems successfully. We identified 37 general problem solving skills. We use 120 hours of workshops spread over four required courses to develop the skills. Each skill is built (using content‐independent activities), bridged (to apply the skill in the content‐specific domain of Chemical Engineering) and extended (to use the skill in other contexts and contents and in everyday life). The tests and examinations of process skills, TEPS, that assess the degree to which the students can apply the skills are described. We illustrate how self‐assessment was used.