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

这项工程教育研究解决了如何最好地为学生准备21世纪工程项目的宏大，复杂的挑战。该项目的假设是，如此巨大的挑战需要“广阔的思维”。本研究项目试图了解工科学生的广泛性思维何时以及如何发展，以创造更好的学习体验。为了获得这样的见解，PI？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，研究学生在攻读工程学位课程时所选择的路径。更具体地说，该项目侧重于三个独立的问题：1)学生在四年的本科工程教育过程中表现出多大程度的广泛性思维？2)开阔的思维与本科毕业后继续学习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广阔的思维？这个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历，使他们成为广阔的思想家。由于21世纪工程面临的许多重大挑战和机遇在范围、复杂性和影响上都很广泛，因此，目光狭隘的工程师可能无法成功地应对这些挑战。这项研究还可以了解那些思维开阔的人是否与思维狭隘的人获得工程学位的几率相同，如果不是的话，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.