Learning for Ill-Structured Problems in Engineering Education

Abstract

An important goal of the engineering educations
is to prepare the students to deal with complex and illstructured
problems. The term ill-structured refers to
problems without conclusive or unambiguously defined
solutions. This view on problems is related to the concept of
constructive alignment and to an educational model called 6
languages for knowledge and learning that describe 6
increasingly complex perspectives, where the shift from the 3rd
to the 4th perspective illustrates a shift from promoting wellstructured
and an instrumental view on learning to
emphasizing ill-structured problems and a focus on the process
in which the learner constructs knowledge. The model was
used as a scaffold for constructing the course syllabus and
learning outcomes for the teachers and for the students. The
part of the course that could be framed as an ill-structured
problem was the assignment. The process of engaging in the
assignment was supported by a guide for teaching critical
thinking.