Over the past decade, education literature has extensively discussed collaborative, student-led, and interdisciplinary methodologies. Despite numerous studies on these aspects of education, concrete examples integrating all three elements are scarce. Chemistry and Art, a course developed at Brown University, addresses this gap by integrating all…

This paper highlights the design process and implementation for an "all majors" undergraduate course that allows students a chance to reconnect with the natural world. During this course students explore a wide range of biological and physical science based topics that seek to highlight human intervention and our impacts on the planet.…

Problem solving is a critical skill for engineering students and essential to development of creativity and innovativeness. Essential to such learning is an ease of communication and allowing students to address the issues at hand via the terminology, attitudes, humor and empathy, which is inherent to their frame of mind as novices, without the…

Describes an effective and efficient method to induce students to do physics homework. (CP)

Outlines one approach to the teaching of materials engineering design within the context of metallurgical engineering. This approach uses a problem solving situation and criteria for an appropriate problem are presented. (GS)

Today, product liability cases seem to be increasing rapidly in both number and extent of liability of the manufacturer. Where analysis of defects and failures was once of interest to the enlightened company, it could well become a necessity for survival of all in the future. The materials engineer is likely to find many opportunities for…

Describes a concentrated course of one week duration in elementary computer physics. The purpose of it is to introduce computer physics and to show how to remove the traditional constraints on physics courses, and to gain insight into the solutions of complex problems using the computer. (GA)

Describes the methods used in a general-biology course at the College of Mount Saint Vincent and Manhattan College (Riverdale, New York) in which a problem solving approach is used in conjunction with the audiotutorial method of instruction. (JR)

Describes a non-credit tutorial course held for engineering students to improve their skill in problem solving. In the group sessions, each student writes his approach to a given problem on a transparency; the class then analyzes the various approaches while viewing them on overhead projectors. (MLH)

Describes a course designed to demonstrate the relationship between design, manufacturing technology, and materials engineering. The course uses a lecture-discussion and laboratory-workshop approach including an analysis of engineering case histories and several service failures. (GS)

Provides ideas and suggestions for helping students increase their problem-solving skills, including a four-step general problem-solving approach. Specific examples (considering qualitative problems and problem sequence) and comments on testing/grading are also provided. (JN)

Describes a course designed to familiarize students with alternative sources of energy, with emphasis on problem-solving strategies. Includes list of major topics/subtopics addressed and list of textbooks and recommended readings on alternative energy sources. (JN)

Describes a course at the University of Alabama for non-engineers. The course emphasizes interrelationships and differences between engineering and science and the role of engineering in solving society's problems from ancient times to the present day. (Author/TS)

Describes a graduate or senior elective course combining fundamentals of surface phenomena with practical problem-solving structured around a series of case problems. Discusses topics covered and their development through acquiring new knowledge applied to the case problem, practical calculations of solutions, and applications to additional…

Describes a course module designed to instruct beginning engineering students at the University of New Mexico in problem-solving methodology as suggested by Polya (understand, plan, carry out, look back). (SK)