Enhancing Computer Based Problem Solving Skills By A Combination Of Software Packages

It is generally recognized that computer-based (or computer-enhanced) problem solving (CBPS) can be a very important or possibly the most important application of the computer in engineering education and practice. However, the penetration of CBPS in the various engineering disciplines has been disappointingly slow and of limited extent. (Kantor and Edgar 2 , Jones 3 ) The mistaken premise that one software package is appropriate for all problem solving is possibly one of the major impediments to CBPS. There are selected engineering courses where the computer is used as a sophisticated calculator that can solve differential and implicit algebraic equations and also perform regressions on experimental data. In other cases, the graphical and the database management capabilities of the software are important. Still other courses require considerable programming abilities.