1 problem scoping in design: some research results dr. cynthia j. atman, dr. ken yasuhara, dr....
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Problem Scoping in Design:Some Research ResultsDr. Cynthia J. Atman, Dr. Ken Yasuhara, Dr. Deborah KilgoreCenter for Engineering Learning and Teaching
College of Engineering, University of Washington
Acknowledgements: This work has been supported by grants from the National Science Foundation RED-9358516, DGE-9714459, EEC-9872498, REC-012554, ESI-0227558, SBE-0354453, the Boeing Company.
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Complete the following task
Over the summer, the Midwest experienced massive flooding of the Mississippi River. What factors would you take into account in designing a retaining wall system for the Mississippi?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 …….
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Draw a line under the last factor you listed and work with a team to continue the listOver the summer, the Midwest experienced massive flooding of the Mississippi River.
What factors would you take into account in designing a retaining wall system for the Mississippi?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 __________________________________________ 8 9 ……..
Switch papers and code responses as “broad” or “close” context
natural
wallwater
bank
surroundings
social
logisticaltechnical
broad context
close context
...
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Example close/broad contextual factors Broad context factors: social, natural,
riverbank, surroundings, etc. “aesthetic appeal – is it going to draw local
complaint?” “the surrounding habitat – make sure little or no
damage is done to the environment” “would wall impact use of the river by industry?”
Close context factors: technical, wall, logistical, water, etc. “cost of materials” “check the budget available for the operation” “how to contain the river water that has flooded out”
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What observations do you have? About the task About the types of factors listed
By you By others
About doing the task as an individual or as a group
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Some Research Results
natural
wallwater
bank
surroundings
social
logisticaltechnical
broad context
close context
...
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Academic Pathways Study (APS)Sheppard (Lead), Atman, Fleming, Miller, Smith, Stevens, Streveler
Large-scale, multi-method study of undergraduate engineering students
Three cohorts of students from very different institutions Longitudinal cohort Broader core sample Broader national sample
One cohort of early career engineers Research on the engineering learning
experience from the student perspective
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Longitudinal cohort: Research methods Surveys Structured interviews Ethnographic interviews and observations Engineering design tasks Supplementary data
Academic transcripts Exit interviews
Longitudinal cohort: Sample
40 students from each of four institutions Institutions
Technical Public Institution Large Public University Urban Private University Suburban Private University
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Midwest floods design task
• 10-minute, paper-and-pencil design task
“Over the summer the Midwest experienced massive flooding of the Mississippi River. What factors would you take into account in designing a retaining wall system for the Mississippi?”
• Years 1 and 3
natural
wallwater
bank
surroundings
social
logisticaltechnical
broad context
close contex
t
...
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More factors in Year 3
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
Year 3
Year 1
average number of factors
N = 69 (longitudinal sample)p < 0.001 (total factors)
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More close context in Year 3
…but no significant increase in
consideration of broad context
…but no significant increase in
consideration of broad context
close
broad
broad
close
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
Year 3
Year 1
average number of factors
N = 69 (longitudinal sample)p < 0.001 (total factors and close context factors)
Increase in close context
segments…
Increase in close context
segments…
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Total factors, by gender
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
men
women
N = 29 women + 40 men (longitudinal sample)p < 0.05 (total factors, both years)
Year 1
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
men
women
average number of factors
Year 3Men respond with fewer factors in
both years
Men respond with fewer factors in
both years
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Close/broad context, by gender
close
broad
broad
close
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
men
women
N = 29 women + 40 men (longitudinal sample)p < 0.05 (total factors and broad context factors, both years)
Year 1
close
broad
broad
close
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
men
women
average number of factors
Year 3Men cite
fewer broad context
factors in both years
Men cite fewer broad
context factors in
both years
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“Problem Scoping” summary More factors listed in Year 3 than Year 1 Increase in consideration of close context
…but not broad context On average, women consider broad context
more than men Doing Design is complex
Skills change over time People bring different perspectives to design
experiences Design thinking is affected by individual/group
processes
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Thinking broadly about HCDE This task described broad problem scoping in
design How might this relate to portfolio design?
How broadly are you defining HCDE? Could you be broader in the types of artifacts
you are considering? Can you think about some potential
annotations more broadly?