Collaborative Research: Using Innovations In Cognitive Science To Monitor The Development Of Design Thinking In Engineering Students - A Longitudinal Study

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This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5)This engineering education research award to George Mason University will study the development of engineering design thinking in undergraduate engineering students using innovations in cognitive science and new methods of analysis. The study will take place over three years at two engineering schools, George Mason and Virginia Polytechnic and State University. The techniques to be used will be drawn from design theory, cognitive science, mathematical modeling and information theory plus engineering education research. The understanding of the relationship between design teaching and student learning is far from complete and the results from this project will help to fill the gap. The results will be presented at technical conferences and published in professional journals. The goal is to better prepare students for the practice of engineering through more effective development of their design talents. The results will increase student?s interest in engineering and will enhance the number of students who complete engineering degrees and are ready to fill engineering jobs.