Liu, G. (2024, October), Comparison of Undergraduate Engineering Students and High School Students Solving Authentic Problems  Paper presented at 2024 Fall ASEE Mid-Atlantic Section Conference, Farmingdale State College, NY, New York. 10.18260/1-2--49430

\bibitem{asee_peer_49430}
  Liu, G. (2024, October), \emph{Comparison of Undergraduate Engineering Students and High School Students Solving Authentic Problems}
  Paper presented at 2024 Fall ASEE Mid-Atlantic Section Conference, Farmingdale State College, NY, New York.
  10.18260/1-2--49430

Gang Liu.  "Comparison of Undergraduate Engineering Students and High School Students Solving Authentic Problems".  2024 Fall ASEE Mid-Atlantic Section Conference, Farmingdale State College, NY, New York, 2024, October.  ASEE Conferences, 2024.  https://peer.asee.org/49430 Internet.  15 Dec, 2024

\bibitem{asee_peer_49430}
  Gang Liu.
  "Comparison of Undergraduate Engineering Students and High School Students Solving Authentic Problems".
  \emph{2024 Fall ASEE Mid-Atlantic Section Conference, Farmingdale State College, NY, New York, 2024, October}.
  ASEE Conferences, 2024.
  https://peer.asee.org/49430 Internet.  15 Dec, 2024

@INPROCEEDINGS{asee_peer_49430
author = "Gang Liu"
title = "Comparison of Undergraduate Engineering Students and High School Students Solving Authentic Problems"
booktitle = "2024 Fall ASEE Mid-Atlantic Section Conference"
year = "2024"
month = "October"
address = "Farmingdale State College, NY, New York"
publisher = "ASEE Conferences"
note = {https://peer.asee.org/49430}
number = {10.18260/1-2--49430}
}

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - Solving authentic problems is complex progress consisting of understanding the problem, communicating with the sponsors, interpreting in scientific language, making project statements, figuring out the key factors, brainstorming possible solutions, screening down the most feasible solutions, initiating the design, optimizing the parameters with some compromises, iterating the whole progress, finalizing the best technical solution, and presenting the technical solutions to the sponsors. This progress might include building prototypes to demonstrate the feasibility of the design if required. To make these two groups comparable, the students are allowed to make proposals of their solutions with theoretical calculations, simulation, finite element analysis (FEA), computer-aided design (CAD), or just hand drawing with trial-and-error methods.
The differences between high school and college students were studied in many ways except how they address and attempt to solve authentic problems. The present paper investigated these two groups of students when they were challenged by authentic problems. Since the two groups are vastly different in their knowledge level of mathematics and physics, and their mental maturity, the present paper will only cover some comparable aspects, including the logic, steps, procedures, screening, group contribution, confidence, and seeking help from others. 
The author of the present paper served as the instructor of senior capstone projects in Mechanical Engineering at a public university on the southeastern coast of the United States for many years and also had experience instructing high schoolers selected from more than 35 high schools to solve some authentic technical problems that came from daily life. The unique experience allowed the author to compare the differences between those two student groups and the findings could help the educators to understand the discrepancies in our curriculum transiting the high schooler to college study. The research result will give instructional suggestions for the future early STEM curriculum development, and also the current college engineering revolution. 

AU  - Gang Liu
CY  - Farmingdale State College, NY, New York
DA  - 2024/10/25
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Comparison of Undergraduate Engineering Students and High School Students Solving Authentic Problems
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/49430
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--49430
ER  -