ERIC Number: EJ1182411
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018-Aug
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1059-0145
EISSN: N/A
Investigating the Impact of Using a CAD Simulation Tool on Students' Learning of Design Thinking
Taleyarkhan, Manaz; Dasgupta, Chandan; Garcia, John Mendoza; Magana, Alejandra J.
Journal of Science Education and Technology, v27 n4 p334-347 Aug 2018
Engineering design thinking is hard to teach and still harder to learn by novices primarily due to the undetermined nature of engineering problems that often results in multiple solutions. In this paper, we investigate the effect of teaching engineering design thinking to freshmen students by using a computer-aided Design (CAD) simulation software. We present a framework for characterizing different levels of engineering design thinking displayed by students who interacted with the CAD simulation software in the context of a collaborative assignment. This framework describes the presence of four levels of engineering design thinking--beginning designer, adept beginning designer, informed designer, adept informed designer. We present the characteristics associated with each of these four levels as they pertain to four engineering design strategies that students pursued in this study--understanding the design challenge, building knowledge, weighing options and making tradeoffs, and reflecting on the process. Students demonstrated significant improvements in two strategies--understanding the design challenge and building knowledge. We discuss the affordances of the CAD simulation tool along with the learning environment that potentially helped students move towards Adept informed designers while pursuing these design strategies.
Descriptors: Design, Educational Technology, Engineering Education, Engineering Technology, Computer Simulation, Courseware, Design Requirements, Assignments, Sequential Learning, Learning Strategies, Teaching Methods, College Freshmen, Cooperative Learning
Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-348-4505; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2123/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Science Foundation (NSF)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: DRL1503436; DRL1151019