Chemical Engineering Problem Solving:  How Important Is Persistence?

Jeffrey Heys

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Conference: 2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Vancouver, BC
Publication Date: June 26, 2011
Start Date: June 26, 2011
End Date: June 29, 2011
ISSN: 2153-5965
Conference Session: Focus on Entry Experiences in Chemical Engineering
Tagged Division: Chemical Engineering
Page Count: 12
Page Numbers: 22.323.1 - 22.323.12
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--17604
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/17604
Download Count: 495

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Jeffrey Heys Montana State University

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Jeffrey J. Heys is an assistant professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Montana State University. He received his B.S. in chemical engineering in 1996 from Montana State University, and his M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1998 and 2001, respectively. His research area is computational transport and computational fluid dynamics in biological systems with an emphasis on fluid-structure interaction and multiphase flows.

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Abstract

Chemical Engineering Problem Solving: How Important Is Persistence? Jeffrey J. Heys Assistant Professor Chemical Engineering Montana State University Bozeman, MT 59717 jeff.heys@gmail.comAbstractOver the past two decades, research on problem solving has focused on identifying thefactors that impact successful problem solving. One factor researchers have identified isthat persistence and doggedness are frequently key attributes of successful problemsolvers. Some researchers have suggested, however, that as the number of distractionsavailable to students increases (e.g., cell phones, social networking), the problem solvingabilities of students will decline due to a lack of persistence. This paper begins byexamining previous research on the link between persistence and problem solvingsuccesses, most of which has been conducted outside of Chemical Engineering. Most ofthis research has been qualitative; based on observations of students trying to solveproblems in mathematics and physics. To gain a quantitative insight into the connectionbetween persistence and problem solving success, we examine self-reported timeutilization data from both second-year and third-year chemical engineering students.Persistence is examined both in terms of the average length of time between interruptionswhile solving a problem and the total amount of time spent on a problem. In most cases,the data shows a positive correlation between problem solving success and persistence,but the correlation is weak and not as significant as other factors in determining problemsolving success. Further, time per problem solving session between interruptions is themore significant variable in determining problem solving success for the lower-levelcourse, but for the upper-level course, the opposite result was observed. There, the totaltime spent per problem was a significant variable, but time between interruptions was notsignificant.Keywords: persistence, problem solving, time allocation

Citation
Format

Heys, J. (2011, June), Chemical Engineering Problem Solving: How Important Is Persistence? Paper presented at 2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Vancouver, BC. 10.18260/1-2--17604

TY  - CPAPER
AB  -                     Chemical Engineering Problem Solving:                         How Important Is Persistence?                                     Jeffrey J. Heys                                  Assistant Professor                                 Chemical Engineering                                Montana State University                                 Bozeman, MT 59717                                 jeff.heys@gmail.comAbstractOver the past two decades, research on problem solving has focused on identifying thefactors that impact successful problem solving. One factor researchers have identified isthat persistence and doggedness are frequently key attributes of successful problemsolvers. Some researchers have suggested, however, that as the number of distractionsavailable to students increases (e.g., cell phones, social networking), the problem solvingabilities of students will decline due to a lack of persistence. This paper begins byexamining previous research on the link between persistence and problem solvingsuccesses, most of which has been conducted outside of Chemical Engineering. Most ofthis research has been qualitative; based on observations of students trying to solveproblems in mathematics and physics. To gain a quantitative insight into the connectionbetween persistence and problem solving success, we examine self-reported timeutilization data from both second-year and third-year chemical engineering students.Persistence is examined both in terms of the average length of time between interruptionswhile solving a problem and the total amount of time spent on a problem. In most cases,the data shows a positive correlation between problem solving success and persistence,but the correlation is weak and not as significant as other factors in determining problemsolving success. Further, time per problem solving session between interruptions is themore significant variable in determining problem solving success for the lower-levelcourse, but for the upper-level course, the opposite result was observed. There, the totaltime spent per problem was a significant variable, but time between interruptions was notsignificant.Keywords: persistence, problem solving, time allocation
AU  - Jeffrey Heys
CY  - Vancouver, BC
DA  - 2011/06/26
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Chemical Engineering Problem Solving:  How Important Is Persistence? 
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/17604
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--17604
ER  -