Resumen de Characterizing the role of modeling in innovation
Modeling is a core skill for engineering students and a pervasive feature of the engineering curriculum. Engineering students engagein modeling anytime they use an equation, flow chart, force diagram, or any other representation of some physical phenomenaregardless of discipline. In this way modeling relates to both design process and analysis; however, students do not alwaysrecognize the full and nuanced ways that these two interact. This paper reports results from our research that is exploring the rolethat computational, analytical, and modeling abilities play in innovation, in the context of engineering design education. Our studyreports results on faculty and students’ conceptions on the role of modeling in design. Specifically, our study sheds light on thevariations in how faculty and students describe how to model a design idea or solution, and the different ways each group perceiveshow models can be useful/helpful in the design process. Our findings indicate that students recognize the descriptive value ofphysical models but mention the more abstract mathematical or predictive nature of modeling less often. In addition, we foundsignificant differences between students and faculty responses in providing mathematics or theory as an approach to modeling adesign solution.
