Board 204: Barriers and Supports to Divergent Thinking in Engineering Problem-Solving: An Engineering Student Project Experience

Shannon M Clancy; Shanna R. Daly; Colleen M. Seifert

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Conference: 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Portland, Oregon
Publication Date: June 23, 2024
Start Date: June 23, 2024
End Date: July 12, 2024
Conference Session: NSF Grantees Poster Session
Tagged Topic: NSF Grantees Poster Session
Permanent URL: https://strategy.asee.org/46771

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Paper Authors

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Shannon M Clancy University of Michigan orcid.org/0000-0003-2779-0746

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Shannon M. Clancy (she/they) is a Ph.D. candidate in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan. She earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) and an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan. Her current research focuses on idea development and ideation tools, divergent thinking, and engineering curricular practices and culture. Her research interests include front-end design practices, sociotechnical knowledge and skills in engineering, and queer student experiences in engineering. Their work is motivated by their passion for and experiences with inclusive teaching and holistic mentorship of students, seeking to reimagine what an engineer looks like, does, and who they are, especially for queer folks, women, and people of color, through empowerment, collaboration, and co-development for a more equitable world. Shannon is also a Senior Graduate Facilitator and Lab Manager with the Center for Socially Engaged Design.

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Shanna R. Daly University of Michigan orcid.org/0000-0002-4698-2973

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Shanna Daly is an Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan. She has a B.E. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Dayton and a Ph.D. in Engineering Education from Purdue University.

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Colleen M. Seifert University of Michigan

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Colleen M. Seifert is an Arthur F. Thurnau Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Michigan. She received her Ph.D. in psychology at Yale University. She was an ASEE postdoctoral fellow at the University of California â€“ San Diego

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Abstract

Engineering is a field of innovation for solving complex challenges. Creative solutions, however, require divergent thinking to consider alternatives rather than converging on a single correct solution. Few studies have focused on the impact of engineering education, structures, resources, and environments on students' abilities to explore and divergent options. While often considered during design concept generation, divergent thinking can be pursued throughout engineering projects when building an understanding of a problem, gathering information and considering stakeholders, choosing problem solving strategies, evaluating possible solutions, and foreseeing implications of decisions.

In order to understand how divergent thinking occurs within engineering problem solving, we investigated engineering students' reported project experiences. Data were collected from 20 mechanical engineering students using a flexible, semi-structured interview protocol and analyzed based on themes regarding structures and environments surrounding projects. This analysis examines one student’s description of their experiences through narrative storytelling to identify divergent thinking (or barriers to it) as they encountered it. The narrative describes this participant’s experiences and illustrates the ways in which the factors surrounding their project influenced their consideration of multiple perspectives and options.

We identify varied influences on the occurrence of, or barriers to, divergence during engineering processes. These include mentor influence, knowledge and skills of the participant, access to others’ views, which support or inhibit considering alternatives. Specifics from project and course structures, requirements to explicitly encourage exploration, and research and material resources available, such as documentation, databases, and equipment and facilities, directly affect engagement in divergent thinking. This suggests attention to structural support for divergence may be effective in encouraging divergent practices.

The narrative serves as a tool for educators, students, and practitioners to consider and understand the importance of exposure to varied viewpoints and structuring projects to tangibly support engineers in exploring alternatives as critical in promoting divergent thinking practices in engineering for more creative and impactful outcomes.

Citation
Format

Clancy, S. M., & Daly, S. R., & Seifert, C. M. (2024, June), Board 204: Barriers and Supports to Divergent Thinking in Engineering Problem-Solving: An Engineering Student Project Experience Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. https://strategy.asee.org/46771

TY - CPAPER
AB - Engineering is a field of innovation for solving complex challenges. Creative solutions, however, require divergent thinking to consider alternatives rather than converging on a single correct solution. Few studies have focused on the impact of engineering education, structures, resources, and environments on students&#39; abilities to explore and divergent options. While often considered during design concept generation, divergent thinking can be pursued throughout engineering projects when building an understanding of a problem, gathering information and considering stakeholders, choosing problem solving strategies, evaluating possible solutions, and foreseeing implications of decisions.

In order to understand how divergent thinking occurs within engineering problem solving, we investigated engineering students&#39; reported project experiences. Data were collected from 20 mechanical engineering students using a flexible, semi-structured interview protocol and analyzed based on themes regarding structures and environments surrounding projects. This analysis examines one student’s description of their experiences through narrative storytelling to identify divergent thinking (or barriers to it) as they encountered it. The narrative describes this participant’s experiences and illustrates the ways in which the factors surrounding their project influenced their consideration of multiple perspectives and options.

We identify varied influences on the occurrence of, or barriers to, divergence during engineering processes. These include mentor influence, knowledge and skills of the participant, access to others’ views, which support or inhibit considering alternatives. Specifics from project and course structures, requirements to explicitly encourage exploration, and research and material resources available, such as documentation, databases, and equipment and facilities, directly affect engagement in divergent thinking. This suggests attention to structural support for divergence may be effective in encouraging divergent practices.

The narrative serves as a tool for educators, students, and practitioners to consider and understand the importance of exposure to varied viewpoints and structuring projects to tangibly support engineers in exploring alternatives as critical in promoting divergent thinking practices in engineering for more creative and impactful outcomes.
AU - Shannon M Clancy
AU - Shanna R. Daly
AU - Colleen M. Seifert
CY - Portland, Oregon
DA - 2024/06/23
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Board 204: Barriers and Supports to Divergent Thinking in Engineering Problem-Solving: An Engineering Student Project Experience
UR - https://strategy.asee.org/46771
ER -