Puzzling the pieces: conceptual blocks of engineering student ideas in a service learning project

• Autores: Idalis Villanueva, Suzanne H. Jones, LeAnn G. Putney, Brett D. Campbell
• Localización: The International journal of engineering education, ISSN-e 0949-149X, Vol. 34, no. 1, 2018, págs. 56-68
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • At its core, engineering and similar disciplines rely strongly on technical innovation to design and develop creativesolutions to complex problems. However, for novice engineering students, conceptualizing engineering design activities isnot an easy task. To do so, they must overcome cognitive blocks to facilitate unique and adequate engineering designsolutions. This effect may be compounded when engineering design projects centered around service learning areintroduced. The intent of this study was to explore if and what types of conceptual blocks may be present amongnovice engineering students when design heuristic cues are provided in the classroom. Findings suggest that usingclassroom interventions around design heuristic, students had a difficult time ‘‘shaking off’’ their conceptual blocks to thedesign solution. Primarily, communicative and perceptual blocks were found to predominate among novice engineeringstudent groups.