COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: Preparing for the Grand Challenges: When and how do engineering students learn broad thinking?

这项工程教育研究致力于如何最好地让学生准备好迎接21世纪工程项目的巨大而复杂的挑战。该项目的假设是，如此宏大的挑战需要“广泛的思维”。本研究项目试图了解工科学生的宽泛思维何时以及如何发展，以便创造更好的学习体验。为了获得这样的见解，皮？S将研究学术路径研究中收集的数据，这是一个多机构的数据集，关于学生在浏览工程学学位课程时所走的道路。更具体地说，该项目关注于三个独立的问题：1)在四年的本科工程教育过程中，学生表现出了多大程度的宽泛思维？2)宽泛思维与本科以后追求工程学的意图之间有什么关系？3)教育经历如何帮助工科学生发展宽泛思维？本项目更广泛的意义和重要性是学习如何更好地为工程师设计大学学习经验，使他们成为宽泛思考者。由于21世纪工程学的许多重大挑战和机遇在范围、复杂性和影响方面都很广泛，狭隘关注的工程师可能无法成功应对这些挑战。这项研究还可能了解到，那些广泛思考的人是否获得了与狭隘思考者相同的工程学学位，如果不是，为什么会这样。

This engineering education research addresses how to best prepare students for the grand, complex challenges of 21st century engineering projects. The hypothesis of the project is that such grand challenges require "broad thinking". This research project attempts to understand when and how broad thinking develops in engineering students in order to create better learning experiences. To gain such insights the PI?s will examine data collected in the Academic Pathways Study, a multi-institution dataset on the paths students take when navigating an engineering degree program. More specifically, the project focuses on three separate questions: 1) What degree of broad thinking do students demonstrate during the course of four years of undergraduate engineering education? 2) What is the relationship between broad thinking and intention to pursue engineering beyond the undergraduate years? 3) How do educational experiences help engineering students develop broad thinking?The broader significance and importance of this project is to learn how to better design college learning experiences for engineers so they are broad thinkers. Since many of the grand challenges and opportunities for engineering in the 21st century are broad in scope, complexity, and impact, engineers with a narrow focus may not be successful at addressing these challenges. The study may also learn if those who think broadly earn engineering degrees at the same rate as more narrow thinkers, and if not why this is.