From Cornerstone to Capstone: Students’ Design Thinking and Problem Solving

Abstract

is a fourth-year undergraduate student working towards her B.S. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering. They are the head of research and development for the Introduction to Engineering and Design at Tandon. In this position they develop semester long design projects for students, hands-on labs, as well as mentor students throughout these projects. They have worked previously at

Project-Based Learning for Second-Year ECE Undergraduate Education

“…Courses where students solve open-ended engineering problems can increase retention and motivation by engaging students in engineering projects that are often the reason students choose engineering majors in the first place [3]. There is a gap between the amount of focus professional engineers and engineering students have on identifying, formulating, and solving engineering problems [4]. Textbook problems tend to be constrained where only specific formulas need to be used to solve them.…”

“…Capstone courses are a threshold to scaffold students to future professional experiences by engaging them in realistic projects that develop interpersonal skills and awareness of their work's context and impact [1]. Some engineering curricula are designed so that the middle-year courses are focused on students learning theoretical technical knowledge through well-structured problems that they will eventually apply in problem-solving during the fourth-year capstone [1], [4].…”

“…In order to reach professional-level problem solving and design thinking, which are two of the most important skills for engineers, students should solve open-ended problems throughout their undergraduate program [4]. The assignment in this paper is categorized in Prince and Felder's definition of Project-Based Learning (PBL).…”

What to Teach First, Hardware or Software? Improving Success in Introductory Programming Courses

“…There is ample evidence in the literature of programs designed to implement a hands-on, low-cost, easily integrated design component in a first-year engineering course used to emphasize the importance of understanding how software and hardware are interlaced, increase retention and student satisfaction [8] [9] [2] [10] [11]. The byproduct of this approach is increased student engagement often in a meaningful way by making a strong connections to the many embedded computing applications used in students' everyday experience and in society in general [4] [12].…”

“…The first-year Cornerstone course uses projects to emphasize the ways in which engineering can develop practical problem-solving applications. In Cornerstone, there are essential topics in which students should become competent across disciplines, including effective communication, teamwork, design thinking, knowledge application, technical skills, and problem-solving [2]. The Cornerstone course was carefully designed to help first-year students achieve success in the program and develop the necessary technical and professional competencies regardless of the specific engineering major they select in their second year [3].…”