Collaborative Research: Using Complex Problem Based Learning in Undergraduate Engineering Classrooms to Prepare Creative Engineers with the Skills to Solve Global Problems

协作研究：在本科工程课堂中使用基于复杂问题的学习来培养具有解决全球问题技能的创意工程师

• 批准号: 2021135
• 负责人: Bret Lingwall
• 金额: $ 24万
• 依托单位: South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2020-10-01 至 2024-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2021135&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Using; Complex; Problem

This project aims to serve the national interest by improving undergraduate engineering education. Specifically, it will create a new teaching approach called Complex Problem Based Learning and use it in undergraduate civil engineering courses. The approach is designed to enhance students' ability to solve transdisciplinary, complex problems. Such problems often have a global scope and can only be solved through the work of collaborative teams that include scientists, engineers, social scientists, humanities experts, and others. The ability to tackle such complex, global problems is important in today’s workplace. As a result, engineering graduates need both disciplinary knowledge and skills such as creativity, design thinking, trans-disciplinary teamwork skills, and the ability to communicate with non-technical stakeholders. The goal of the project is to use the Complex Problem Based Learning approach to provide multiple opportunities for civil engineering students to develop and practice these skills. This goal is well aligned with the National Academy of Engineering’s vision for engineering (The Engineer of 2020), which encourages recognition of the leadership role engineers will have in industry, government, and the non-profit sectors of the future economy. The project will also contribute new knowledge about engineering education by investigating the impact of this Complex Problem Based Learning approach.The Complex Problem Based Learning approach will be implemented in five engineering design courses ranging from freshman to senior year, enabling its impact to be evaluated across a range of student proficiency levels. Through this approach, students will be guided through a facilitated problem-solving process built around consensus, problem driven research, and stakeholder-driven problems. Multiple sources of data will be collected to evaluate the success of the Complex Problem Based Learning approach. Data from student self-assessments will be collected via survey tools. The CATME platform hosted by Purdue will be used to collect student self-assessments of teams and participatory decision-making. A factorial experimental design methodology will be used to investigate impacts of Complex Problem Based Learning on civil engineering education and outcomes. The assessments of creativity will focus on both the person and the product, and evaluate whether there is a strong correlation between the two. The Kaufman Domains of Creativity Scale instrument will be used for self-assessment of personal creativity and the Consensual Assessment Technique will be used for assessment of the product’s creativity. The broader impact of this award includes the development of the Complex Problem Based Learning approach, which might be used for education of students at any age and in any STEM discipline. By fostering creative mindsets and creative problem-solving skills, this approach can help develop a creative and reflective STEM workforce that can thrive in the future of increased automation. The NSF IUSE: EHR Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

该项目旨在通过改善本科工程教育来服务国家利益，具体而言，它将创建一种称为“基于复杂问题的学习”的新教学方法，并将其用于本科土木工程课程，旨在提高学生解决跨学科、问题的能力。这些复杂的问题通常具有全球性，只能通过包括科学家、工程师、社会科学家、人文专家等在内的协作团队的工作来解决。解决此类复杂的全球性问题的能力在当今的工作场所非常重要。因此，工程毕业生既需要学科知识，又需要创造力、设计思维、跨学科团队合作技能以及与非技术利益相关者沟通的能力等技能该项目的目标是使用基于复杂问题的学习方法为土木工程学生提供多种发展和发展的机会。这一目标与美国国家工程院的工程愿景（2020 年工程师）高度契合，该愿景鼓励认可工程师在未来经济的工业、政府和非营利部门中的领导作用。该项目还将贡献有关的新知识。通过调查这种基于复杂问题的学习方法的影响来研究工程教育。基于复杂问题的学习方法将在从一年级到四年级的五门工程设计课程中实施，从而能够在不同的学生熟练程度范围内评估其影响。这种方法将引导学生通过围绕共识、问题驱动的研究和利益相关者驱动的问题构建的便利的问题解决过程，并将收集多个来源的数据来评估基于复杂问题的学习方法的成功。将通过调查工具收集自我评估。普渡大学主办的 CATME 平台将用于收集学生对团队的自我评估和参与性决策，并将用于评估基于复杂问题的学习对土木工程教育和成果的影响。关注人和产品，评估两者之间是否存在很强的相关性，将使用考夫曼创造力域量表工具对个人创造力进行自我评估，并使用共识评估技术。该奖项的更广泛影响包括开发基于复杂问题的学习方法，通过培养创造性思维和创造性解决问题的方式，该方法可用于任何年龄段和任何 STEM 学科的学生的教育。 NSF IUSE：EHR 计划支持研究和开发项目，通过学生参与学习提高 STEM 教育的有效性。轨道，该程序支持创建、探索和实施有前景的实践和工具。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。