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Title: Divergent thinking in engineering: Diverse exploration is key to successful project outcomes
Engineers have the power to drive innovation and rethink the way the world is designed. However, a key practice often absent from engineering education is facilitating innovation and considering diverse perspectives through divergent thinking. We define divergence in engineering practices as exploring multiple alternatives in any stage of engineering processes. Currently, engineering education and research focuses on divergence primarily in the generation and development of design solutions, supported by idea generation methods such as Brainstorming and Design Heuristics. But in practice, there are many other opportunities throughout an engineering project where engineers may find it useful to explore multiple alternatives. When does divergent thinking take place during engineering problem solving as it is currently practiced? We conducted 90-minute semi-structured interviews with mechanical engineering practitioners working in varied setting to elicit their experiences with divergent thinking taking place in their engineering projects. The initial results document divergent thinking in six different areas of engineering design processes: 1) problem understanding, 2) problem-solving methods and strategies, 3) research and information gathering, 4) stakeholder identification, 5) considering potential solutions, and 6) anticipating implications of decisions. These findings suggest engineers find divergent thinking useful in multiple areas of engineering practice, and we suggest goals for developing divergent thinking skills in engineering education.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1943805
PAR ID:
10414764
Author(s) / Creator(s):
Date Published:
Journal Name:
2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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