Defining OpenEnded Problem Solving Through Problem Typology Framework Problem solving is central to engineering education.  Yet, there little agreement regarding what constitutes an exemplary design problem or case analysis problem for modeling undergraduate instruction after.  There is even less agreement in engineering education literature regarding the best way to measure students ability or progress in learning to be better problem solvers in these discrete problem categories. We describe the development of a research method toward accessing how students think about design is described, what constitutes a measurable response, and how to compare through qualitative research methods pre and post student performance. The discussion draws from Jonassenxe2x80x99s (2000) framework for problem typology, as well as cognitive learning frameworks of design thinking, and metacognition as a theoretical basis that informs the problem formulation and planned approach for analysis.

Analyzing Studentsxe2x80x99 Mental Models of Technical Systems Successful innovation processes require communication between different disciplines, such as mechanical and electrical engineering or software development. However, such communication is hampered by differences in individual mental models. This paper presents two studies that investigate mental models of engineering students. The studies apply SART and card sorting to analyze mental models and were conducted at the beginning of their academic education to understand influences on disciplinespecific mental models that are observed in practice. The studies indicate that mental models of engineering students are typically based on structural properties of the machines. A second study identified nine dimensions that classify mental models of students. Future work that facilitates the analysis of mental models on a larger scale is proposed. The aim of this work is to understand these differences and inform educational mechanisms that teach mental model flexibility and perspective change.