Brophy, S. P., & Li, S. (2011, June), Problem Definition in Design by First-Year Engineering Students  Paper presented at 2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Vancouver, BC. 10.18260/1-2--18476

\bibitem{asee_peer_18476}
  Brophy, S. P., \& Li, S. (2011, June), \emph{Problem Definition in Design by First-Year Engineering Students}
  Paper presented at 2011 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition, Vancouver, BC.
  10.18260/1-2--18476

Sean P. Brophy and Sensen Li.  "Problem Definition in Design by First-Year Engineering Students".  2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Vancouver, BC, 2011, June.  ASEE Conferences, 2011.  https://peer.asee.org/18476 Internet.  25 Apr, 2024

\bibitem{asee_peer_18476}
  Sean P. Brophy and Sensen Li.
  "Problem Definition in Design by First-Year Engineering Students".
  \emph{2011 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition, Vancouver, BC, 2011, June}.
  ASEE Conferences, 2011.
  https://peer.asee.org/18476 Internet.  25 Apr, 2024

@INPROCEEDINGS{asee_peer_18476
author = "Sean P. Brophy and Sensen Li"
title = "Problem Definition in Design by First-Year Engineering Students"
booktitle = "2011 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition"
year = "2011"
month = "June"
address = "Vancouver, BC"
publisher = "ASEE Conferences"
note = {https://peer.asee.org/18476}
number = {10.18260/1-2--18476}
}

TY  - CPAPER
AB  -                                                                         ASEE Abstract 2011                                                                                  10/08/10     Problem definition in design using tools, teaming and reflectionEngineering design involves insightful identification of concepts and systematicunpacking of specifications. However, many engineering students are unable to articulatethe major problems to be solved and the sub problems associated with the achieving themain design goals and constraints. In this paper, we report a study about how first-yearengineering (FYE) students attempted to translate given design goals into an integratedset of problems to be solved. Prior research in design describes students’ prematuretermination of solution finding to select a single idea. Then all other design decisions areconstraint by this initial decision. We found that, instead of decomposing the problemthrough further analysis and sense making, many FYE students tended to "restate" thegoal, identify one major function, then start to build. Further, they claimed using asystematic design process, but observations of their problem solving process and teamingskills indicated a different behavior. Further study indicated that many FYE studentscould capture the superficial features from the problem statement, but they were not ableto identify the "invisible" logic or deep structure of the problem.Our current data provided the baseline of how FYE students abstract and interpretinformation from the design goal to generate a specific problem statement. We areinterested in treatments to improve students ability to recognize critical features of agiven context and encourage taking multiple perspective to identify alternatives. We arecombining the use of graphical representational tools as organizational tools to supportteams collaboration and we encourage opportunities to reflect and refine their designprocess. Furthermore,, we expected students to maintain the big picture in mind andconsider how to balance all the major constrains as a whole. This research is relevant toengineering instructors/researchers who want to develop students’ ability to deal withcomplex design challenges and efficiently decompose, analyze and translate the problemstatements into meaningful specifications and a plan of action.
AU  - Sean P. Brophy
AU  - Sensen Li
CY  - Vancouver, BC
DA  - 2011/06/26
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Problem Definition in Design by First-Year Engineering Students
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/18476
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--18476
ER  -