A Systematic Review of the Literature on Engineering Requirements and the Framing of Design Problems in Engineering Education

Through an ongoing systematic review, we seek to understand the literature related to the role of engineering requirements in the problem framing process. A systematic literature search from the past 30 years resulted in 2236 results related to the development and use of requirements across engineering disciplines in industry, research, and education settings. In this manuscript, we present findings of a synthesis toward identifying gaps within educational engineering settings. Review for the inclusion and exclusion criteria-reporting on the development and not just use of requirements-resulted in 80 papers retained. Using an analytical framework that considers the role of abductive reasoning in design, the qualitative to quantitative translation of requirements, and the extent of student involvement in defining engineering requirements, we characterized the nature of problem framing experiences in design education. Among the study findings, three stand out. First, there is a need for design education research grounded in relevant design theory and that provides more detailed information about the nature of the student experience. Second, less than half of reported design experiences provide opportunity for students to engage in abductive reasoning typical of design, and only slightly more than half of those experiences involved students in requirements setting. Third, the majority of abductive experiences are engaged by first-year and senior students, while students in the middle years engage in theory focused experiences where design serves as an inauthentic façade. We consider implications of these findings as it relates to undergraduate engineers’ preparation for practice and offer suggestions on how student practice with setting and working with engineering requirements might be better integrated in undergraduate education.