Developing Problem-Solving Skills Through University Assignments

2001 Annual Conference Proceedings

Beyond engineering and engineering technology, employers in all fields want employees who can think critically and solve problems. Faculty in problem-solving courses have undoubtedly responded to the question, "Will the test be like the homework?" This raises the question of whether or not the test should be like the homework, and if not, how close should it be. Are students modeling their approach to problem solving or are they developing deep level processing and strategic approaches? How does homework reinforce the skills that we want students to develop? How are the various problem-solving courses working together to reinforce approaches to problem solving? Why do students do well with the homework at the end of a chapter and struggle with a test over several chapters? Why do students hate word problems? Students are not only charged with the responsibility of getting correct answers, they must also realize that sometimes there is more than one correct answer. Students must look beyond checking the answer in a solutions manual to the day that they will become the solutions manual. This calls for students to develop competence and confidence in their competence. Are we leaving the synthesis of problem solving skills to the student or are there approaches that we can utilize to reinforce student skills? This presentation will explore the answers to the questions raised in the preceding paragraph. There will also be a discussion on how students can become strategic problem solvers. It will further explore how homework, tests, and collaborative learning contribute to this process. Topics include skills acquisition, problem recognition and definition, strategic problem solving, extended applications, effective homework strategies, speed drills, test-taking, and study groups. Beyond Critical Thinking Most activities do not require creative thinking or application. Habit and routine are generally more than sufficient to accomplish day-today tasks and challenges. Too many people accept the notion that they are not creative, and that the best ideas belong to other people. Sometimes, creative thinking is equated with intelligence. Intelligence alone, however, does not assure good thinking. Intelligence may be more aptly associated with the capacity for creative thought rather than the extent to which that capacity is utilized. Knowledge may be the foundation of the creative thought process, but knowledge is not what makes a person creative. Critical thinking is emphasized frequently as a goal in education, but the ability to think critically is only one dimension of the creative thought process that students should develop. Thinking is more than an analytical exercise designed to produce a correct answer. It is not a random, undisciplined, serendipitous process that some genetically favored segment of the population enjoys while others are relegated to a mundane intellectual struggle. Creative thinking requires an attitude and an approach to manipulating knowledge and experience that facilitates the development of new

2014

Problem solving is a critical component of a comprehensive 21st century education. This study investigates the perceptions of students of taking a university liberal education course designed to develop problem-solving skills. We describe how the participants in the study created their own understanding of what problem solving skills are and why they are important. Based on both quantitative and qualitative data collected before, during and after the course, students reported increased communication skills, increased awareness of the importance of problem-solving skills in their major, and significantly increased confidence in their problem-solving abilities. They also demonstrated a strong awareness of how the skills they acquired transfer to both academic and real-world environments.

Education Partnerships Inc, 2004

How can we help students become better problem solvers? What strategies might help students become better at solving problems? Summary of Findings: No longer solely the domain of Mathematics, problem solving permeates every area of today's curricula. Ideally students are applying heuristics strategies in varied contexts and novel situations in every subject taught. The ability to solve problems is a basic life skill and is essential to understanding technical subjects. Problem-solving is a subset of critical thinking and employs the same strategies. Although the line between the two is fuzzy, in general, the goal of problem-solving is to adduce correct solutions to well-structured problems, whereas the goal of critical thinking is to construct and defend reasonable solutions to ill-structured problems. Basically, problem-solving is the process of reasoning to solutions using more than simple application of previously learned procedures.

Higher Education, 2016

The ability to effectively problem solve is a highly valued competency expected of university graduates, independent of their area of study. Evaluation of problem-solving skill (PSS) development is hindered by a shortage of available tools for monitoring student progress and by lack of defined instructional strategies for development of these skills. Our research is aimed at addressing these problems. We have developed an evaluation tool, which we applied to study the dynamics of undergraduate student PSS. We tested first-and upper-year students High Educ

EDULEARN10 Proceedings, 2010

The aim of the present empirical pilot study was to reveal the personal competency set involved in problem solving as a sub-skill of emotional intelligence in the case of higher education students and teachers. The research tools involved TTI TriMetrix® Personal Report (Comp) questionnaires regarding HARTMAN value profile. Teachers' competencies were examined to find out about their applicable skills when facing educational challenges that they have not been prepared for during teacher training. In the case of students, the questionnaires aimed to discover the extent to which creative problem solving or divergent thinking contributes to the development of successful career socialisation. The sample of the questionnaire survey comprised of 34 students studying at a Hungarian higher education institution and 21 teachers teaching at the same institution. The research results justified the original research hypothesis i.e. the higher the emotional knowledge capacity of the teacher and the student, the higher the possibility to become efficient and to successfully tackle circumstances in a 21st century society. The research results might contribute to both teacher training and to the establishment of an up-to-date curriculum model to develop emotional competencies and creative thinking for higher education students. Further research is needed to justify the hypothesis on samples involving a larger number of participants.

2011

This article describes steps of teaching problem solving to college students and provides examples in the context of a university course. The steps involve (1) identifying the types of problems and types of problem solving methods to be covered, (2) instructing the students in problem-recognition and problem solving methods, along with ways of choosing appropriate methods for different types of problems, (3) modeling how to apply the methods, (4) giving the students practice solving problems that reasonably represent the range of problems they will encounter after graduation, (5) giving the students feedback on their performance, (6) using teaching methods that help motivate students to learn, and (7) evaluating the results of the training in problem solving.

2011

This paper examines findings of a problem-solving skills survey conducted at RMIT in 2010-2011, involving 320 student respondents. It will discuss the following questions: (1) Are there any differences in perceptions of students from different schools on their problem-solving skills? (2) Do students perceive themselves as better problem solvers as a result of their engineering degree studies? (3) What activities improved students' problem-solving skills the most? The findings suggest an approach to enhance studentperceived effectiveness of their problem-solving skills.

2019

1996 Annual Conference Proceedings

2008) Future directions and perspectives for problem solving research and curriculum development.