Scaffolding Transfer Activities Through The Use Of Concept Maps To Enhance Adaptive Problem Solving In An Introductory Engineering Technology Course

In the industrial age "knowing what" and "knowing how" to transfer well-structured problem solving skills learned in one context to another context was sufficient for most job positions. With the movement to an information age, problem solving has expanded into the required ability to transform domain-dependent problem solving skills learned in one context into domain-independent skills capable of solving ill-structured problems [1] . Becoming an expert problem solver within this new environment means adding, "knowing why" to what and how knowledge. The typical instructional solution to enhance the student’s problem solving skills is to add a “messy” end of course project, based on the faculty member’s industrial experience or consulting work. Depending on the nature of the problem and the student's familiarity with the project context, student success can be limited. Spiro delineated this condition, stating "cognitive and instructional neglect of problems related to content complexity and irregularity in patterns of knowledge use leads to learning failures that take common, predictable forms (failure to transfer)" [2] . This investigation addresses the underlying theory and evidence advocating concept maps as a method for scaffolding problem solving transfer. In order to minimize the failure to transfer, both the problem solver's factors and the instructional factors must be addressed.