"We Are a Nonlinear, Dynamic System": Problem-Based Design in Engineering at a Hispanic-Serving Institution

• In Event: 44.066 - Factors That Influence Student Learning in the Problem-Based Learning Process

Abstract

As we considered the connections between design problem solving and PBL in diverse contexts, we sought to understand more about the experiences of a faculty member and his students in a PBL engineering course at an Hispanic-serving Institution (HSI). We conducted this study to investigate how the engineering instructor designed PBL and how his class of learners from diverse backgrounds experienced PBL. Findings suggest that the instructor designed the experience with a wide range of learner characteristics and contexts in mind. Students expressed value and appreciation in the experience, but struggled with the demand that the problem-based design placed on them in terms of time and troubleshooting commitments.

Authors

• Krista D. Glazewski, Indiana University

• Andrea Sarah Gomoll, Indiana University - Bloomington

• Cindy E. Hmelo-Silver, Indiana University

• Thomas Brush, Indiana University

• Jiyoon Jung, University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign