Current UK and European benchmark
statements for both undergraduate and professional engineers
identify problem solving and creativity as essential capacities.
They do not, however, offer guidance on how these skills might be fostered or assessed.
Researchers have for many years explored how the
differences between novices and experts might show educators’ techniques and strategies for improving problem solving skills in their students. They also suggest a number of capacities relating to creativity which might vary from professionals to novices.
A number of semi-structured interviews have been
undertaken with engineering undergraduates at The University
of Northampton, Loughborough University and Birmingham
University in order to explore these issues. The interviews with
novice undergraduates are further supported by interviews
with practicing professional engineers and engineering
academics. Analysis has been in the form of a
phenomenographic study.
Early findings from the interviews have usefully been used to
inform an action research project to develop a problem-based
learning module to improve creative problem solving skills in
undergraduate engineers. A number of emerging themes that
have been identified include: confusion with the concept of
‘creativity’ in engineering; identification of processes in the case of professionals against products in the case of students; issues with motivation and ownership with regard to academic problems and significance being placed on real life activities as a way of teaching and learning creative problem solving