Ill-structured Problems Research Articles

Comprehensive Instructional Design of Problem solving centered Lesson according to Structuring level of Problem to meet Performance Criterion of Problem Solving Capability of Manufacturing Technology in Technology Education in Middle School in Korea

이 연구의 목적은 중학교 ‘기술ㆍ가정’과 제조기술 문제해결 능력 성취기 준에 부합하는 문제의 구조화 수준에 따른 문제해결 중심의 포괄적 수업 설계 를 위한 것이었다. 이를 위해 2015 개정‘기술․가정’과 기술 분야의 성취기준 분석, 문제의 구조화 수준 분석, 제조기술 문제해결 활동의 분석을 하였다. 그 리고 이러한 준비과정을 거쳐 교수 자료와 학습 자료의 개발, 개발된 수업 설 계 초안에 대한 개선의 3단계 과정을 거쳐 포괄적 수업 설계를 완성하였다. 이러한 준비, 개발, 개선의 단계를 통해 이루어진 포괄적 수업 설계는 다음과 같다. 첫째, 문제해결 중심 포괄적 수업 설계는 중학교 ‘기술․가정’과의 제조기술 문제해결능력 성취기준을 달성하기 위한 체험활동 중심으로 이루어진 자기 주 도적 학습 활동이다. 둘째, 문제해결 중심 포괄적 수업 설계는 수업 개관, 문제해결 활동, 수업 전 략 및 방법, 수업 활동 및 유의 사항, 수업 단계와 절차, 수업 일정 및 시간 배 정, 그리고 교수 자료와 학습 자료로 이루어졌다. 셋째, 문제해결 중심 포괄적 수업 설계에 제시된 문제해결 활동은 (1) 구조화 된 문제: 차량용 다용도 걸이 만들기, (2) 반구조화된 문제: 자동차를 타면서 불 편했던 점을 해결할 수 있는 제품 만들기, (3) 비구조화된 문제: 생활 속에서 불편함을 해결할 수 있는 제품 만들기로 조직되었다.The purpose of this study was to design lessons centered on problem-solving activities according to structuring level of problems that meet the Performance criterion of problem solving capability of manufacturing technology in Technology & Home economics in middle school. To this end, were an analysis of Performace criterion in the technology sector in 2015 revised “Technology and Home economics”, an analysis of structuring level of problems, and an analysis of manufacturing technology problem solving activities. And through this preparation process, the Instructional design was completed through a three-step process of developing teaching materials and learning materials, and improving the developed instructional design draft. The Comprehensive instructional design was performed through the following stages of preparation, development and improvement. First, the problem-solving centered instructional design is a self-directed learning activity centered on experiential activities to achieve the problem-solving capability performacne criteion of manufacturing technology in Technology and Home economics in middle school. Second, the problem solving-centered instructional design consisted of class overview, problem solving activities, class strategies and methods, student activities and notices, lesson steps and procedures, lesson schedule and time allocation, and teaching materials and learning materials. Third, the problem-solving activities organized in the problem-solving instructional design were (1) structured problem: making a multi-use hanger for vehicles, (2) semi-structured problem: making a product that could solve the inconveniences while riding a car, (3) Ill-structured problem: making a product that can solve discomfort in life.

Examining Effectiveness of an Authentic Problem-based Learning Model based on Uncertainty Level and Learning Performance of Engineering Students Studying Physics

Introducing uncertainty into instruction-based classroom has been looked into by some educators to increase students’ learning in terms of problem solving skills. In Problem-based learning (PBL) environment, uncertainty is naturally incorporated into the ill-structured problem which is crafted purposively to motivate and stimulate PBL learners’ learning process as the natural provocation for real learning. This study adopts the quasi-experimental approach and correlational design to explore the relationship between PBL learners’ uncertainty level and learning performance and the effectiveness of an authentic problem-based learning (APBL) model in reducing uncertainty level. 78 Physics students from Taylor’s American Degree Program in Fall 2017 semester participated in this study. A 30-item self-reporting, numerically measurable questionnaire to capture the learners’ uncertainty level with regards to the cognitive, affective and physical dimension was developed. A pre-test on the uncertainty level was conducted to some students who have volunteered to fill out the questionnaire immediately after they learned the PBL scenario which served to determine whether the PBL question has incorporated uncertainty and if there is a reduce in uncertainty level after completing the PBL activities. Posttest on the uncertainty level was conducted after learners presented their solution or proposal to the problem. Learning performance scores constitutes three measures, namely learning satisfaction, learning attitude, and learning score. Learning satisfaction consists of 10-item self-reporting, numerically measurable questionnaire. The Cronbach’s alphas for uncertainty construct and learning satisfaction are 0.89 and 0.92 respectively. One sample T test was conducted to study the effectiveness of APBL in reducing the level of uncertainty. A Pearson’s correlation coefficient between the variables were obtained. The results of zero order correlation analysis showed a strong negative correlation between uncertainty level and learning performance. One sample t-test result showed that learners’ uncertainty level were significantly reduced after the APBL activities.

Karakteristik Kemampuan Siswa SMA dalam Menyelesaikan Well dan Ill Structured Problems pada Pembelajaran Fisika

One effort to improve the quality of learning physics is by developing abilities in problem solving. Problem solving abilities are complex cognitive activities using thought processes. For students, by knowing problem solving abilities, they can do self-reflection and have learning motivation to change for the better. For teachers, knowing students' abilities in problem solving can be used as a guide for designing learning strategies and evaluations that are suitable for improving problem solving skills. For this reason, it is necessary to identify problem solving abilities of high school students. Methods of research data collection using tests and interviews. Tests for measuring problem solving abilities are categorized as ill-structured problems and well-structured problems. The results showed that students were better able to solve well-structured problems than ill-structured problems. The ability of students to solve well-structured problems and ill-structured problems, most of them are included in the category of novice and only a small proportion are categorized as expert. The novice and expert characteristics based on the results of the study is described in detail in the part of discussion.

Undergraduates’ Experiences and Perceptions of a Problem-based Learning Approach in ESL Writing Classroom

This study investigates Nigerian undergraduates’ experiences of a problem-based learning approach (PBL) in an ESL writing classroom. The study involves an intact class of second-year students (n=18) in an English Composition course. A questionnaire was used to collect data on the participants’ experiences and perceptions of PBL. Semi-structured interview and reflective journal were also employed to substantiate the quantitative data. The overall findings of the study show that the participants had positive experiences and perceptions. They had positive experiences and perception of the ill-structured problem, facilitation and problem-solving process. The findings also show that the approach had a positive impact on the participants’ writing skills as well as other language skills. Other pedagogical implications which would give insight for better implementation of the PBL approach are presented in the study.

Development of a Model ofProject-Based Learning

Project-based learning as a principle of the educational process that is being implemented at the universities has a long history. The model of Aalborg University (Denmark) which was created in 1974 to change the traditional approach to teaching students in higher educational institutions of the country is the basic (archetypal) model of project-based learning. The School of Economics and Management of the Far Eastern Federal University is currently implementing its own model of project-based learning (SEM model). This model is developed on the basis of design thinking, which is a methodology for solving ill-structured problems in the face of uncertainty. The implementation of design thinking in the educational process should promote the development of creativity and critical thinking competencies among students, and the organization of project work should contribute to the development of communication skills necessary for interaction with internal and external stakeholders as well as teamwork skills. The purpose of the article is to compare this model with the base model of Aalborg university, to identify the general and the special features of both of these models, to outline prospects for the further development of the SEM model. Thesis: the experience gained at the SEM over the three years of the learning implementation provides an opportunity to create its own systemic model of project-based learning and to recommend its implementation in the other Russian universities.

Role of questions in inquiry-based instruction: towards a design taxonomy for question-asking and implications for design

Many theories and models describe the various cognitive processes individuals engage in as they solve ill-structured problems. While diverse in perspectives, these theories and models uniformly agree that essential aspects of complex problem solving include iteration and inquiry. This paper further argues that an important yet overlooked component of knowledge construction during problem-solving is the ability to ask meaningful questions. What is needed, but not adequately articulated and validated, is a theoretical taxonomy of question-asking to better understand and guide a learner’s reasoning process. Based on the expert–novice literature, we proffer the following question taxonomy: shallow/simple (verification, disjunctive, concept completion), testing (example, feature specification, quantification, definition, comparison), and deep/complex questions (interpretation, causal antecedent, causal consequence, goal orientation, instrumental/procedural, enablement, expectation, and judgmental). We, therefore, build on existing theories/models of problem-solving, failure, and reflection and their implications towards a taxonomy of question-asking. Given this taxonomy, researchers and designers can better understand learners’ level of understanding and problem-solving trajectories.

METHODOLOGY OF CHOOSING AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE INFORMATION SYSTEM IN HIGHER MILITARY EDUCATION INSTITUTION ACTIVITY

This article reveals problematic aspects of choosing and implementation of the information system (IS) in higher military education institution activity. Article gives the description of solving further tasks: describing of operations, which provide main higher military education institution capabilities, choosing commercial information system and determination of integrated IS creation variants, developing of the measures plan for higher military education institution activities automation. During the methodology development, experience of implementation of automation means in commercial, military and educational spheres was taken into consideration. Using of process-oriented approach was proposed. this gives ability to figure the system view of organization (institution) architecture, determine peculiarities of realization of managemant (strategy) processes, main processes in scientific and educational activities and enabling (additional) processes, that within the analysis phase plays the role of basis for definition of functional requirements to IS for meeting higher military education institution demands. For analysis and rating of commercial IS author have chosen quantative multi-criteria method – hierarchy analysis method, which allows to solve ill-structured problems. For IS analysis were investigated and determinate main criteria's for making the decision which can fully meet higher military education institution demands. Results of experts consultation are the base data, which is represented like paired comparison matrix for each hierarchy nodes. Determination of options priority while choosing commercial IS was performed using specialized software «MY PRIORITY 1.0». Results of this analysis can be used for argumentation of IS developer choice. Peculiarity of the given methodology is the complex approach to: identification, formal definition, analysis and improvement of higher military education institution activities; evaluation of automation level, actual needs, peculiarities of creation and IS requirements definition and automation means taking into consideration specific (military) training in higher education institution.

Tutors’ Experiences and Perceptions of a Problem-based Learning Approach in an ESL Writing Classroom

<em><span>This study investigated tutors’ experiences and perceptions of using a problem-based learning approach (PBL) in an ESL writing classroom. The participants of the study are two Nigerian tutors who facilitated an intact class of 18 second-year students in an English composition course which lasted for 12 weeks. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. The tutors were interviewed after the implementation of the PBL process. The overall findings of the study show that the tutors have positive perceptions of the use of PBL in a writing classroom. Specifically, the findings reveal the tutors’ positive experiences and perception of the workshop conducted prior to the PBL process, the ill-structured problems presented to the students, tutor facilitation and students’ group activities. Finally, the paper gives some pedagogical implications which would give insight for better implementation of the PBL approach.</span></em>

“Escape the Room” – a strategy for problem-based learning and student inquiry

PurposeProblem-based learning (PBL) has long been a regular feature in professions outside K-12 education and is growing in social studies education in recent years. PBL is built around student inquiry into an “ill-structured” or “messy” problem (Wieseman and Cadwell, 2005, p. 11). These inquiries are open ended, largely autonomous and student driven (Savin-Baden, 2014). The collaborative nature of PBL scenarios allows students to work with real-world concepts and skills to solve problems (Ferreira and Trudel, 2012). This paper aims to discuss these issues.Design/methodology/approachThis paper describes an innovative strategy for PBL learning, an Escape the Room (ETR) activity centered on historical content knowledge – in this case, the First World War. The activity incorporates a series of ill-structured problems with the First World War as its historical context.FindingsThe paper concludes with a discussion of the utility of PBL activities like “ETR” and possible applications in the classroom for teachers.Originality/valueThere has been significant research in PBL activities but little in the specific application of “ETR” scenarios, a rising trend in commercially available activities. The potential for student inquiry and engagement is a rich field for social studies educators.

Which one works best? --- The effects of varied concept map strategies on solving ill-structured problems

In order to explore which strategy works best to enhance students’ ill-structured problem-solving ability, the study utilized concept mapping strategy to evaluate students’ performance. 90 undergraduate students, who were registered in the course of Service Marketing, were invited to participate in the study. The preliminary strategy indicated that the students performed differently under various strategies

A honeybees-inspired heuristic algorithm for numerical optimisation

Swarm intelligence is all about developing collective behaviours to solve complex, ill-structured and large-scale problems. Efficiency in collective behaviours depends on how to harmonise the individual contributors so that a complementary collective effort can be achieved to offer a useful solution. The main points in organising the harmony remain as managing the diversification and intensification actions appropriately, where the efficiency of collective behaviours depends on blending these two actions appropriately. In this paper, a hybrid bee algorithm is presented, which harmonises bee operators of two mainstream well-known swarm intelligence algorithms inspired of natural honeybee colonies. The parent algorithms have been overviewed with many respects, strengths and weaknesses are identified, first, and the hybrid version has been proposed, next. The efficiency of the hybrid algorithm is demonstrated in comparison with the parent algorithms in solving two types of numerical optimisation problems; (1) a set of well-known functional optimisation benchmark problems and (2) optimising the weights of a set of artificial neural network models trained for medical classification benchmark problems. The experimental results demonstrate the outperforming success of the proposed hybrid algorithm in comparison with two original/parent bee algorithms in solving both types of numerical optimisation benchmarks.

The Role of Using Formative Assessments in Problem-based Learning: A Health Sciences Education Perspective

Practitioners in the field of pharmacy are often confronted with ill-structured problems. Specifically, pharmacists are tasked with making patient-specific recommendations that are both safe and effective, which requires combining knowledge from the biomedical, behavioral, and pharmaceutical sciences. Given the dynamic nature of pharmacy as a profession, the field has begun to explore learning strategies that go beyond mere content coverage to strategies that better support higher-order learning outcomes. One of these approaches is problem-based learning (PBL). While studies have focused on how to support PBL to improve learning outcomes, the role of assessment is often overlooked. Further exploration is thus needed since assessment plays a pivotal role in teaching and learning. This Voices paper will explore this idea within a larger context; we will also share the experience of how a subject matter expert (SME) worked with a team of instructional designers (IDs) to revise an existing course to more explicitly employ PBL and thus adopt an inquiry-based mindset needed for complex clinical decision making. Given the inherent challenges of assessment in PBL, further discussion will be focused on how to (a) design ill-structured problems, (b) align assessments to the PBL curriculum, and (c) how to hold students accountable in cases where a traditional grade is not attached.

Supporting Case-Based Reasoning in Pharmacy Through Case Sequencing

Pharmacists are often required to solve ill-structured problems aimed at achieving optimal health outcomes at the patient, population, and institutional levels. Given the complexity of pharmacists’ clinical decisions, educators are exploring ways to foster complex problem-solving and higher order thinking in the classroom. One emerging strategy includes problem-based learning (PBL), which asks learners to collaboratively solve ill-structured cases that are representative of the types of problems faced by practitioners. Case-based reasoning argues that understanding and interpretation of a case is incremental and dynamic; that is, the lessons learned from one case might change in view of new experiences and across a case-based curriculum. While much of the literature is focused on how learners solve a single problem, it is unclear how learners construct their knowledge across multiple cases presented in PBL. To address this gap, this study focused on learners’ perception of case sequencing and how that design influenced the development of their internal case library. Because we are focused on formative assessment, we used qualitative analysis to understand the nuances of our design and explored its implications for programmatic changes. The feedback from the participants focused on index generation, index prioritization, alignment with prior knowledge, and reflection. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

EXPLORING MATHEMATICAL REPRESENTATIONS IN SOLVING ILL-STRUCTURED PROBLEMS: THE CASE OF QUADRATIC FUNCTION

Mathematical representation has an essential role in solving mathematical problems. However, there are still many mathematics education students who have difficulty in representing ill-structured problems. Even though the ill-structured-problem-solving tasks designed to help mathematics education students understand the relevance and meaningfulness of what they learn, they also are connected with their prior knowledge. The focus of this research is exploring the used of mathematical representations in solving ill-structured problems involving quadratic functions. The topic of quadratic functions is considered necessary in mathematics teaching and learning in higher education. It's because many mathematics education students have difficulty in understanding these matters, and they also didn’t appreciate their advantage and application in daily life. The researchers' explored mathematical representation as used by two subjects from fifty-four mathematics education students at the University of Nusantara PGRI Kediri by using a qualitative approach. We were selected due to their completed all steps for solving the ill-structured problem, and there have different ways of solving these problems. Mathematical representation explored through an analytical framework of solving ill-structured issues such as representing problems, developing alternative solutions, creating solution justifications, monitoring, and evaluating. The data analysis used technique triangulation. The results show that verbal and symbolic representations used both subjects to calculate, detect, correct errors, and justify their answers. However, the visual representation used only by the first subject to detect and correct errors.

Advancing entrepreneurship as a design science: developing additional design principles for effectuation

Scholars have advocated the development of entrepreneurship as a design science. One foundational challenge in a design science is to identify design principles. We argue that a particular field can draw on a design knowledge from different design sciences to develop design principles. In particular, we show that entrepreneurship research can learn from one branch of artificial intelligence studies called “genetic algorithm,” which is a design field that creates solutions for complex, nonanalytical, and ill-structured problems. We illustrate the analogous transfer process by identifying complementary design principles for one exemplary entrepreneurship theory, namely effectuation. In turn, these additional effectual design principles further effectuation theory as a design science and help advance entrepreneurship as a nascent design science.

Promoting learning in online, ill-structured problem solving: The effects of scaffolding type and metacognition level

This study aims to identify the effects of scaffolding type (supportive or reflective) and metacognition level (low or high) on presence, problem-solving performance, and achievement in online ill-structured problem solving. One hundred forty-eight students who enrolled in a college-level course on instructional design participated in this study in South Korea. The course was delivered as eight sessions led by the same instructor using the same content, and four of them were provided with supportive scaffolding, while the other four with reflective scaffolding. All of them were given an ill-structured problem of designing a lesson plan for a three-week project in a web-based learning environment without any face-to-face classes or meetings, and were asked to go through five stages of problem-solving. Metacognition and presence were measured using survey instruments, while problem-solving performance and achievement were measured using a rubric and quiz items, respectively. Data were analyzed using two-way MANOVA and ANCOVA, using pretest scores as a covariate. The results indicated that the reflective scaffolding group scored higher on cognitive and social presence, and also on problem representation, monitoring and evaluation in problem-solving performance than the supportive scaffolding group. The reflective scaffolding group also showed higher achievement than did the supportive scaffolding group. There was a significant interaction effect between scaffolding types and metacognition level on teaching presence and achievement. The results provide implications on the design of scaffolding for online ill-structured problem solving activities in association with learner characteristics.

Self-Regulation Strategies in an Engineering Design Project

Models of self-regulation describe how individuals engage deliberately and reflectively in goal-directed action in order to achieve valued goals. Studies have found that the consistent use of self-regulation in an academic setting is highly correlated with student achievement. Self-regulation plays a critical role in problem-solving, particularly when unraveling ill-structured problems as is required in engineering design. The primary research question: How did engineering students perceive their self-regulation activities while engaged in a design project? A total of 307 students from three higher education institutions working on their capstone engineering design projects participated in the study. The study evaluated students’ self-regulation in relation to both design and project management skills. We used a self-regulation in engineering design questionnaire (EDMQ) to assess students’ approaches to self-regulation. Quantitative data were analyzed in two parts using descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings suggested that: (1) Students focused more consistently on task interpretation than other self-regulatory strategies, particularly during design; (2) Students lacked awareness of the essential need to develop a method to assess the design deliverables; (3) Self-regulation gaps were found during early design phases, but as the design process progressed, a more balanced approach to self-regulation was apparent. Given the importance of task interpretation to successful performance, students attended to identifying tasks during both the design process and project management. However, they did not report engaging in planning, implementing, and monitoring and fix-up strategies as consistently, even when those processes were relevant and called for. Implications are drawn for research, theory, and practice.

Enhancing the learning effectiveness of ill-structured problem solving with online co-creation

ABSTRACT Ill-structured problem solving is widely believed to promote learning in higher education but its multiplicity (i.e. multiple solutions and evaluation criteria) is often seen as a challenge to manage. This study shows that the multiplicity can be managed as well as leveraged to enhance learning effectiveness through online co-creation. Three co-creation activities are identified and their effects on different aspects of learning effectiveness are assessed in a study involving 225 tertiary-level students. Results indicate that solution co-creation and solution sharing enhance cognitive learning (e.g. perceived knowledge about a subject topic), while decision co-creation enhances epistemic learning (e.g. perceived understanding of criteria of knowing). The findings demonstrate the value of online co-creation and they pave the way for more research on online co-creation in other collaborative pedagogical practices such as co-skilling.

The Role of Authentic Assessment Tasks in Problem-Based Learning

Problem-based Learning (PBL) has long been touted as an effective pedagogical approach in higher education to promote students’ authentic learning. As a learner-centered pedagogy, PBL is characterized by students working collaboratively in small groups to solve messy, ill-structured problems that mirror real-world problems encountered by expert professionals in the field. Students are also expected to engage in self-directed learning. PBL instructors play a pivotal role as facilitators of learning. Authentic assessment is deemed to be a viable method in PBL-oriented courses because of its focus on real-world problems. However, little is known about how instructors in higher education institutions perceive the importance of and their satisfaction in using authentic assessment in PBL-oriented courses. Specifically, what instructional decisions do they make to guide their students to use authentic assessment tasks to promote assessment for learning and assessment as learning? In this paper, we reported on instructors’ perspectives of using authentic assessment tasks to engage first-year student teachers in an assessment course.

Educational system for the development of collaborative Ill-structured problem-solving skills

Problem solving is indicated among the most important 21st century skills and therefore many educational practitioners and researchers suggest to include the development of this skill in diverse subjects across university studies. However, practice of this skill development is usually limited to the application of problem-based learning, which leaves it only among many other goals. The fact also remains that this popular curricular invention is most commonly considered as a content-based method, which puts greater emphasis on subject-related knowledge acquisition in the context of solving problems. Indeed, solving ill-structured problems is not an easy activity and what higher education needs is a more explicit focus on the development of this skill in students. The article seeks to scientifically and practically explain the system on how this educational aim can be attained. Based on literature review, we design a tripartite system for enabling students to learn collaborative problem solving. It comprises three main parts: preparation for solving ill-structured problems in collaboration, inclusion into the processes of solving such problems and evaluation of the processes as well as outcomes achieved. The designed system is universal and can be implemented across various disciplines and subjects in higher education.