Making the RSD framework ‘speak engineering’: A problem solving framework generated by student-tutors Presenters: Mei Cheong Harry Lucas UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE SCHOOL OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

Design Graphics and Communication 2 Teaching 1 st Year Engineering students to ‘think’ like engineers and to develop their problem solving skills ?

Student-Tutor Team Brainstorming 3

From RSD to OPS 4 Core Issue Identified A Sister Framework Generated

Optimising Problem Solving (OPS)  Simple  Visual  Highlights the focal point of problem solving  Highlights the communication process in problem solving 5

Application: Engineering Case Study 6 Research the various options and ways to control the damage and solve the problems Explore alternative solutions and evaluate possible consequences Write new procedures Organise all the procedures developed Decide which problem to address when Plan and improvise new procedures to get the crew in space home safely Mission Control had to decide if solutions presented was feasible Test the new procedures in the simulator Engineers, astronauts and ground control had to work together to find solutions Solutions had to then be passed on to crew in space Crew in space had to determine the source of the problems and damages incurred Ground crew had to find solutions to the problems identified Generate + Evaluate Evaluate extent of damage Mitigate the effects of the damage on the spacecraft and the crew Ensure safe return of crew Problem Definition + Specification Find + Reflect Organise + Manage Analyse + Synthesise Communicate + Apply APOLLO 13 CASE STUDY

Generate + Evaluate Problem Definition + Specification Find + Reflect Organise + Manage Analyse + Synthesise Communicate + Apply Application: Problem Solving Workshops 7

Application: Expositional Writing 8

Application: From Task Setting to Creating Rubrics (An Education Context) 9 Generate + Evaluate Problem Definition + Specification Find + Reflect Organise + Manage Analyse + Synthesise Communicate + Apply Clarity of task, outcome and clear links between the two. Prevents students from discarding key opportunities to reconsider task, constraints and assessment criteria Causes students to make strong links across information sets and builds linked knowledge across National Curriculum and SACE requirements Deepens links across skills sets; gives ownership of skills to students Allows students to move from the known to the new, encourages creativity, teaches and reflects structure, syntax and communication across learning areas Teaches review skills, deepens layers of analysis, teaches students to be actively aware of rubrics and to incorporate constraints into their responses Teaches drafting, encourages and values literacy as a key mechanism across learning areas, supports the cross curricular themes of the National Curriculum and SACE

What to expect from the workshop  Extending from the RSD to generate your own ‘OPS’ to be applied in your context  Modifying the OPS to suit your field and/or application  Generating new frameworks for your context 10