by Angela Askey, Executive Director Public Relations and Marketing, Central Arizona College
Central Arizona College students enrolled in SCI195 (High Altitude Balloon Payload) and EGR198IS (Special Topics in Engineering) participate in learning opportunities outside the classroom. At the beginning of the semester, they select a project designed to answer a question or solve a problem.
Prof. Armineh Noravian says, “In SCI195, students engineer a payload to collect atmospheric data. In EGR198IS, students work on a problem either of their own choosing or suggested by me. These projects have ranged from electronics to mechanical to software or a combination of all these.”
She adds, “The problems that students work on have largely fallen on the ill-structured (like a real-world problem) side of the spectrum. Unlike well-structured problems (which are generally educational exercises with rules, within set parameters, with pre-determined right or wrong solution), ill-structured problems have numerous solutions and pathways to solutions, have few parameters and contain uncertainty or ambiguity about how they are organized.
“Such problems inspire creativity and innovation because the focus of students is not on getting the correct answer so that they can pass the class. Instead, students engage in what engineers call ‘playing’ where they explore, experiment, and learn through both success and failure.”
Encouraging students to do projects outside of their regular courses is important and allows students to learn from experience through creative experimentation and exploration. Student feedback on these courses shows they gain confidence, disciplinary growth and a professional identity.
Additionally, students may list their work on a resume, making them competitive with other candidates for internship or scholarship opportunities.
