Exploring undergraduate engineers’ accommodation of engineering problem typology to support their initial framing and scoping of open-ended problems

This study explores students’ initial engagement with ill-structured problems before and after the introduction of engineering problem typology as a framework for problem engagement and reflection. Using problem discussions, debrief interviews, and qualitative analysis of written artifacts, we considered observed changes to students’ initial problem framing and scoping discussions before and after the introduction of engineering problem typology. Two student pairs were examined as a comparative analysis of possible extremes on a continuum of adoption. One student pair demonstrated transformational adoption, leveraging problem typology as a guide for problem framing and scoping, and as a shared metacognitive framework. The other pair demonstrated transactional adoption that had limited impact on their thinking, and no apparent impact on the nature and trajectory of their problem framing and scoping. Through exploration of these cases, we find support for the use of problem typology as a frame for facilitating ill-structured problem engagement among undergraduate engineers. We also find evidence related to challenges that must be overcome in disrupting students’ established approaches to learning. We argue that this work can serve as a starting point for developing scaffolds that support problem design and facilitation, metacognitive development, and disrupting undergraduates’ conditioned approaches to problem engagement.