1. Justifying a Problem Academically or Ethically
Engineering Design and Development
© 2013 Project Lead The Way, Inc.

2. Is the problem that you have identified really worth solving
Is the problem that you have identified really worth solving? There are three standards or pathways to answering this question. 1) Is there a large volume of evidence supporting my claim that this is in fact a problem and it is worth solving? 2) Would solving this problem help people? 3) Can I prove that there would be a market for a product that solves this problem?

3. Two Pathways to Justification
Justifying Problem Selection
Two Pathways to Justification
Academically or Ethically
Market Research
Both are valid. Both are important.
However, in almost all disciplines of engineering you will find the organization that governs that body is dedicated to the public interest and the moral responsibility of engineers.
It is our hope that engineers want to make the world a better place.

4. Academically / Ethically
Justifying Problem Selection
Academically / Ethically
In this course, projects that can be justified ethically through academic research represent the highest order of achievement.
This should be the starting point for all groups.

5. Some problems worth solving have no research to draw on.
Justifying Problem Selection
Market Research
Some problems worth solving have no research to draw on.
Once you have documented your search of the academic pathway, you might find that a better justification could be showing that there is a market for your product.
We will discuss this option in the next steps of the process.

6. Where are we in the research phase?
Presentation Name
Engineering Design and Development
Unit # – Lesson #.# – Lesson Name
Where are we in the research phase?
Step 5
Step 1 (individual) – Areas of Interest
Step 2 (individual) – Large problems within area(s) of interest
Step 3 (individual/team) – Manageable problem(s) within area of interest
Step 4 (team) – Preliminary research
Step 5 (team) – Justify the problem
Step 6 (team) – Concise problem statement. You problem statement will continue to evolve as you become an expert.

7. 1. Define and Justify a Problem
Why EDD?
Engineering Design and Development
Lesson 1.1 Overview and Expectations
An Engineering Design Process - Research
1. Define and Justify a Problem
Brainstorm possible project problems.
Research and select a valid problem.
Become an expert on the problem.
Justify the problem through research.
Academic
Market
Write a problem statement.
Document and analyze prior solutions.
Identify design requirements.
Create a Project Proposal.

8. Who in fact says your problem is a “problem” that needs to be solved.
Presentation Name
Engineering Design and Development
Unit # – Lesson #.# – Lesson Name
Justifying Problem Selection
Academically / Ethically
Getting Started
Who in fact says your problem is a “problem” that needs to be solved.
Provide varied sources and different arguments for the problem.
“I Feel” or “I Think” has no place in engineering design and development.
Remove the “language of affection”.
Use the “language of report”.
Assume no one believes you.
Prove every point with the facts.

9. From this point forward, it is critical to always capture two things.
Presentation Name
Engineering Design and Development
Unit # – Lesson #.# – Lesson Name
Justifying Problem Selection
Academically / Ethically
Getting Started
From this point forward, it is critical to always capture two things.
What was said? (Information)
Who said it? (APA Citation)
Where should you look to find the best justifications for your project?

10. Printed Electronic Databases Microfiche General Reference
Presentation Name
Engineering Design and Development
Unit # – Lesson #.# – Lesson Name
Justifying Problem Selection
Academically / Ethically
Types of Justification
Periodicals & Academic Journals
Printed
Electronic Databases
Microfiche
Books Refereed Articles
General
Reference
Documented Communication
Expert Interviews
Surveys
Newspapers
Multimedia (video, audio)
Commercial Internet Sites
Peer Reviewed
Editor Reviewed
Credentialed Expert
Note the order in which these types of justification are listed. Can you see which represents the BEST academic justification?
Why?

11. Justification Problem Statement Strategies for Brainstorming Revisited
Five Common Attack Paths to Justifying a Problem
Economics
Lack of a solution to this problem costs…
Health & Safety
People are hurt or killed by…
Justification
Problem
Statement
Legal Issues
People are suing because…
Earlier some students might have used these attack paths to Find a Problem.
Now we will use them to Justify the Problem.
From how many different attack paths can you justify your problem?
Technical Problems
People a complaining about…
Educational
Education programs exist to prevent… 11

12. Quantity and Quality of Sources
Presentation Name
Engineering Design and Development
Unit # – Lesson #.# – Lesson Name
Justifying Problem Selection
Academically / Ethically
Quantity and Quality of Sources
A diverse spread of acceptable sources makes for a better case of justification.
An argument is best made by presenting sound, multiple, and documented sources.
5 Good sources is usually enough
Using 3 different attack paths
4 GREAT sources will do
Providing 4 different attack paths
Justification
Your instructor will decide the quality and amount of documentation required to justify your problem.
Remember, some problems will be a challenge to meet this standard of justification.
Make sure you document your search well before moving to Market Research for justification.

13. A Systematic Approach to Research
Presentation Name
Engineering Design and Development
Unit # – Lesson #.# – Lesson Name
Justifying Problem Selection
Academically / Ethically
A Systematic Approach to Research
You instructor will introduce you to the research tools available to you at your school.
Some common places to start are
Google Scholar
Databases such as;
Academic Search Premier
ERIC
Statistical Abstract of the United States

14. Image Resources Microsoft, Inc. (n. d. ). Clip art
Image Resources Microsoft, Inc. (n.d.). Clip art. Retrieved from iStockphoto. Retrieved from Dimension Printing. Retrieved from Thanks to EDD teachers who shared images of student prototypes