Collaborative Research: Investigating Impacts on the Ideation Flexibility of Engineers

这个工程教育研究项目调查学生在学习工程设计时产生想法的能力。构思是所有工程师的一项关键技能，因为他们探索问题空间，并为社会问题制定短期和长期解决方案。该项目调查了假设有助于学生创意生成能力的三个关键因素，并探讨了这些因素之间的相互关系。该项目的更广泛的意义和重要性来自于支持工程实践者的思维灵活性的潜力，为工程教育工作者提供更大的能力，以支持和指导工程学位课程的思维。研究人员提出了一项雄心勃勃的计划，以确保研究成果广泛传播给工程系教师。该项目与NSF的战略目标重叠，即通过准备一支具有新能力和专业知识的工程队伍来改变前沿。此外，NSF通过支持创新学习系统的发展，实现了为社会创新的目标。

This engineering education research project investigates students' ability to generate ideas (ideation) as they learn engineering design. Ideation is a critical skill for all engineers as they explore problem spaces and develop both short-term and long-term solutions to societal problems. The project investigates three key factors hypothesized to contribute to students' idea generation capability, and explores the interrelation between the factors.The broader significance and importance of this project arise from the potential to support ideation flexibility among engineering practitioners, giving greater capabilities for engineering educators to support and direct ideation in engineering degree programs. The investigators have proposed an ambitious plan to ensure that the research results are broadly disseminated to engineering faculty members. This project overlaps with NSF's strategic goals of transforming the frontiers through preparation of an engineering workforce with new capabilities and expertise. Additionally NSF's goal of innovating for society is enabled by supporting the development of innovative learning systems.