Open-ended Problems
Faculty asked students to solve or brainstorm about problems that have more than one answer.
About
Having an activity that addresses many learning goals in one is powerful, which is why faculty across the disciplines use this so often. This activity is good for engaging students, improving their critical thinking, improving their research skills, improving their teamwork skills, and helping them connect theory with application - all of which are excellent outcomes. The activity is highly adaptable: it can be used for a single discussion, a small group activity, or a semester long project. If the issues of discomfort can be addressed early on by providing processes, models, and skills for how to solve problems, this is an excellent way to get students actively engaged in a highly motivated and realistic learning experience.
The original study's data and analysis for "Open-ended Problems" can be found on this link.
What Faculty Have To Say
Strengths (13)
- Introduces real challenges
- Makes learning relevant
- Increases motivation and engagement
- Improves learning
- Taps into the questioning and curiosity
- Exercises problem solving skills and critical thinking
- Connects theories to concrete issues
- Working on problems without set answers is more realistic
- More creativity and independence
- Deepens conversations
- They learn that even defining the actual problem is hard
- Fosters teamwork
- Doing a thing is a better way to learn than just reading about it
Weaknesses (6)
- Lack of experience with ambiguity can cause anxiety and frustration
- Students need to be instructed in how to solve problems
- Requires a lot of faculty work, from setting up the problems to teaching the skill to grading
- Harder to assist them, and they can get lost and demotivated without structure
- Hard to create right-sized problems for a class or assignment
- Variable results make them hard to grade
Pedagogy Usage
Bucknell faculty was asked their best estimate for how often in the semester they used Open-ended Problems and the average class time it took.
Average Duration: 20min (mode=10)
Remote Suggestions
This pedagogy survives well in Remote or Hybrid models, as problems can still be posted online and students still required to respond with their solutions. This can be done in a journal format for asynchronous, in small groups in a Google Doc, though a P.O.G.I.L. worksheet, or in a live class discussion.
Resources for Additional Learning
Articles & Books
- Inductive teaching and learning methods: definitions, comparisons, and research bases. Journal of Engineering Education. Prince, M. J., & Felder, R. M. (2006).
- Open-Ended Problem-Solving Skills in Thermal Fluids Engineering. Nikos J. Mourtos
- Students’ Problem Solving Strategies in Problem Solving-mathematics Classroom. Pimpaka Intaros