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Everyday Problem Solving in Engineering: Lessons for Engineering Educators
Author(s) -
Jonassen David,
Strobel Johannes,
Lee Chwee Beng
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
journal of engineering education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.896
H-Index - 108
eISSN - 2168-9830
pISSN - 1069-4730
DOI - 10.1002/j.2168-9830.2006.tb00885.x
Subject(s) - engineering education , curriculum , problem based learning , computer science , engineering , engineering ethics , management science , engineering management , mathematics education , psychology , pedagogy
Practicing engineers are hired, retained, and rewarded for solving problems, so engineering students should learn how to solve workplace problems. Workplace engineering problems are substantively different from the kinds of problems that engineering students most often solve in the classroom; therefore, learning to solve classroom problems does not necessarily prepare engineering students to solve workplace problems. These qualitative studies of workplace engineering problems identify the attributes of workplace problems. Workplace problems are ill‐structured and complex because they possess conflicting goals, multiple solution methods, non‐engineering success standards, non‐engineering constraints, unanticipated problems, distributed knowledge, collaborative activity systems, the importance of experience, and multiple forms of problem representation. Some implications for designing engineering curricula and experiences that better prepare students for solving workplace problems are considered.