Function Modeling: An Analysis of Pause Patterns in Modeling Activities

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Apurva Patel ◽  
William S. Kramer ◽  
Michelle Flynn ◽  
Joshua D. Summers ◽  
Marissa L. Shuffler
Keyword(s):  
Design Problem ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Protocol Analysis ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Structure Model ◽  
Modeling Process ◽  
Function Blocks ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Protocol Study ◽  
Novel Design

This paper presents a protocol study conducted with mechanical engineering students, where the participants developed a function structure model for a novel design problem. A modeling activity video was recorded for each participant and coded using a protocol analysis. Pauses in the modeling process were analyzed to identify patterns based on pause time and frequency, distribution of pauses over the modeling activity, events following the pauses, and elements added after pauses. Results show that participants used an average of 38% of the modeling time in pauses with a pause frequency of 41%. Moreover, participants were also found to spend more time in pauses during the second and third quarters of the modeling activity. Subsequently, an analysis of pause lengths revealed three different pause groups corresponding to short, intermediate, and long pauses. Participants added elements to the model significantly more frequently, compared to editing and deleting elements. Instances of deleting were found to be more likely to occur after longer pauses, whereas editing was done more frequently after shorter pauses. Participants paused more frequently before adding flows, and more frequent pauses were observed before labeling function compared to adding function blocks. The flows were found to be labeled after pauses infrequently. Finally, limitations of the study are discussed, and future research questions have been identified.

Function Modeling: A Modeling Behavior Analysis of Pause Patterns

2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Apurva Patel ◽  
William S. Kramer ◽  
Michelle Flynn ◽  
Joshua D. Summers ◽  
Marissa L. Shuffler
Keyword(s):  
Design Problem ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Protocol Analysis ◽  
Modeling Process ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
New Research ◽  
Protocol Study ◽  
Modeling Behavior ◽  
Novel Design

Abstract This paper presents a behavior-based protocol study conducted with mechanical engineering students, where the participants developed function–structure models for a novel design problem. A modeling activity video was recorded for each participant and coded using a protocol analysis that captured the modeling sequence, actions, and elements. Pauses in the modeling process were analyzed to identify patterns based on pause time and frequency, the distribution of pauses over the modeling activity, and events preceding and following the pauses. In this study, a pause is characterized as an interruption in the modeling process lasting at least 2 s. Participants were found to spend an average of 38% of the modeling time in pauses, with more of it being allotted to the middle of the modeling activity and less toward the start and end. Three pause types are defined (short, intermediate, and long pauses) based on an analysis of pause lengths, which are then used to analyze events before and after pauses. Participants added elements to the model more frequently, compared to editing and deleting elements. Longer pauses were observed before participants before elements are removed from the model, whereas editing was done more frequently after shorter pauses. Several modeling element pairs are identified that are infrequently separated by pauses, such as the “edge” and “edge text” pair, suggesting that the designer thinks about these as paired elements rather than distinct elements. Limitations of the research methods are discussed, and finally, new research questions are identified as continuing work for this research.

scholarly journals A study on the effects of example familiarity and modality on design fixation

2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 171-184 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vimal Viswanathan ◽  
Megan Tomko ◽  
Julie Linsey
Keyword(s):  
Energy Source ◽  
Design Problem ◽  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Feasible Solution ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Design Fixation ◽  
Design Concepts ◽  
Novel Design

AbstractDesign fixation is a factor that negatively influences the generation of novel design concepts (Jansson & Smith, 1991). When designers fixate, they tend to reproduce example features or features from their initial ideas. In order to mitigate design fixation, it is crucial to identify the factors that influence the extent of design fixation. This paper investigates two such factors: the modality of examples and the familiarity of designers with the example features. To investigate this, an experiment is conducted with mechanical engineering students who were asked to generate ideas to solve a peanut sheller design problem. The students generated ideas in five different experimental conditions: control, where no example was given; the first example given in a sketch form; the first example given as a nonfunctional prototype; a second example in sketch form; and the second example in a working prototype form. The first example was a nonfeasible solution, but it contained several features familiar to the participants. The second example was a feasible solution, but it contained less familiar features. In order to understand the extent of fixation triggered by the examples, three metrics were utilized to compare across the experimental conditions: the quantity of nonredundant ideas generated by the participants, the presence of example features in their solutions, and their fixation to the example's energy source. The results showed that in the case of the familiar example, the example modality did play an important role in the extent of design fixation. Across the examples, it was found that the first example containing several familiar features caused more fixation than the second one. Overall, this paper shows that the modality in which the example was communicated and the presence of familiar features in an example influenced the fixation caused by those examples.

Exploring the Effect of Design Education on the Design Cognition of Mechanical Engineering Students

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher B. Williams ◽  
John Gero ◽  
Yoon Lee ◽  
Marie Paretti
Keyword(s):  
Design Education ◽  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Design Thinking ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Protocol Analysis ◽  
Design Cognition ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Protocol Study ◽  
The Impact

In this paper, the authors report on progress of a longitudinal study on the impact of design education on students’ design thinking and practice. Using innovations in cognitive science and new methods of protocol analysis, the authors are working with engineering students to characterize their design cognition as they progress through engineering curricula. In this paper, the results from a protocol study of sophomore Mechanical Engineering students are presented. Specifically, data gathered from two experimental sessions (conducted before and after the students’ introductory design course) are analyzed to identify changes in design thinking cognition. Design cognition is determined using protocol analysis with the coding of the protocols based on a general design ontology, namely, the Function-Behavior-Structure (FBS) as a principled coding scheme (as opposed to an ad hoc one). Preliminary results indicate that statistically significant changes in students’ design cognition occur over the course of their sophomore year. The change manifests itself in an increase in focus on the purposes of designs being produced, which is often a precursor to the production a higher quality designs, and an increase in the design processes associated with the introduction of purposes of designs.

Defining Function: How Student Definitions Compare to Literature and Function Model Generation

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Apurva Patel ◽  
Joshua D. Summers ◽  
Brian Davenport
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Students ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Function Model ◽  
Evaluation Scores ◽  
Concept Of Function ◽  
Future Research Directions ◽  
And Function ◽  
Protocol Study ◽  
Analysis Of Function ◽  
Function Models

Abstract The concept of “function” serves various purposes in engineering design, resulting in a variety of definitions for the same term. This paper presents an analysis of function definitions provided by mechanical engineering students as part of a larger protocol study on function modeling behaviors. This work investigates the relationships between student definitions of function and their corresponding completed function models. Student definitions are also compared to those found in literature using a topical analysis. Student definitions tend to skew towards one topic, whereas definitions in literature are found to be more likely to contain a combination of topics. Subsequently, student definitions are compared to the function models generated by students based on the size and completeness evaluation of models. Larger function models are found to be correlated to definitions that include terms such as “input/output” and “process”. Definitions that use terms such as “task” and “action” are found to have higher evaluation scores, but the differences are small in magnitude. In general, the activity of creating a function model was found to influence how students define function. Finally, limitations of the work are discussed along with future research directions.

Analyzing Requirement Type Influence on Concept Quality and Quantity During Ideation: An Experimental Study

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Worinkeng ◽  
Joshua D. Summers
Keyword(s):  
Design Problem ◽  
User Study ◽  
Future Research ◽  
P Value ◽  
Functional Requirement ◽  
Functional Requirements ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Research Questions

This paper examines the influence of requirement types on the quantity and quality of generated solutions as studied through a user study experiment. A controlled group of students was given a burrito folder design problem with no requirements and asked to sketch solutions. Four experimental groups given different requirement treatments were also asked to sketch solutions for the same design problem. The experimental conditions were functional requirements, non-functional requirements, mixed prioritized requirements and randomly mixed requirements. Analysis of the experimental results reveals that there is a significant difference in quantity of means between the non-functional requirements and the functional requirements groups, with the non-functional group achieving higher quantity scores. In addition, there is a significant difference in quantity in functional requirements and no requirements with the no requirements group achieving higher quantity scores. In terms of quality, there are significant differences in means between the non-functional requirement and functional requirement groups as well as the non-functional and no requirements group. Therefore having non-functional requirements can positively impact the quantity (p-value = 0.09) and the quality of concepts solutions (p-value = 0.018). These findings lead to new future research questions related to understanding exactly how the functionality, in this case functional requirements, influence an engineer’s thinking.

Dysfunctional Behavior in Organizations: Insights from the Management Control Literature

2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 117-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krista Fiolleau ◽  
Theresa Libby ◽  
Linda Thorne
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Internal Control ◽  
Management Control ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Fraud Triangle ◽  
Audit Risk ◽  
Research Opportunities ◽  
Dysfunctional Behavior ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Published Research

SUMMARY As the scope of the audit continues to broaden (Cohen, Krishnamoorthy, and Wright 2017), research questions in management control and internal control are beginning to overlap. Even so, there is little overlap between these fields in terms of published research to date. The purpose of this paper is to take a step in bridging the gap between the management control and the internal control literatures. We survey relevant findings from the extant management control literature published between 2003 and 2016 on dysfunctional behavior and the ways in which it might be mitigated. We then use the fraud triangle as an organizing framework to consider how the management control literature might help to address audit risk factors identified in SAS 99/AU SEC 316 (AICPA 2002). The outcome of our analysis is meant to identify and classify the extant management control literature of relevance to research on internal control in a manner that researchers new to the management control literature will find accessible. We conclude with a set of future research opportunities that can help to broaden the scope of current research in internal control.

scholarly journals People with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and their caregivers: what matters most?

2021 ◽  
pp. bmjspcare-2020-002741
Author(s):  
Paola Brunori ◽  
Maria Grazia Celani ◽  
Angelo Alberto Bignamini ◽  
Marzia Carlini ◽  
Rossella Papetti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ◽  
Disease Burden ◽  
Anger Management ◽  
Care Service ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Text File ◽  
Medical Issues ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Lateral Sclerosis

ObjectivesThe aim of this study is to collect the perspectives and values of people affected by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and their carers to offer clinicians, researchers and policymakers aspects which are precious in prioritising future research questions and reshaping care service organisations in a participatory approach.Design and settingCohort study using ALS Umbria, the electronic database in Italy.ParticipantsEleven patients and 33 carers who agreed to participate in the study were divided into six focus groups by ‘status’ (patient or carer) and by four severity levels of ‘burden of disease’.MethodsA semiquantitative analysis was undertaken. Each recorded group discussion was transcribed into text file and independently read by two psychologists and two ALS specialists to blindly identify needs, emotions and medical issues, which are the key semantic meanings expressed. Any disagreement in interpretation was resolved through consultation among authors.ResultsCarers pronounced significantly more words related to patient’s disease burden they cared. 40% of subjects expressed the need for ‘assistance’, regardless of the disease burden. ‘Anger’ alone represented more than 1/4 of all expressed emotions and was more common in patients than in carers (73% vs 36%, p=0.077). The most frequent medical issue expressed by 1/3 of participants was ‘difficulty in communication’.ConclusionThis study has given voice to the expectations of those affected by the burden of ALS. ‘Welfare assistance’, ‘anger management’ and resolution of ‘difficulties in communication’ represent issues that need to be analysed in a common prioritised research agenda with sensible and shared outcome measures to implement patient-centred medicine.

scholarly journals Artificial intelligence in hospitals: providing a status quo of ethical considerations in academia to guide future research

AI & Society ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Milad Mirbabaie ◽  
Lennart Hofeditz ◽  
Nicholas R. J. Frick ◽  
Stefan Stieglitz
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Citation Network ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
Biomedical Ethics ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Ethical Considerations ◽  
Ethical Discourse ◽  
The Status ◽  
Clinical Environments ◽  
Research Questions

AbstractThe application of artificial intelligence (AI) in hospitals yields many advantages but also confronts healthcare with ethical questions and challenges. While various disciplines have conducted specific research on the ethical considerations of AI in hospitals, the literature still requires a holistic overview. By conducting a systematic discourse approach highlighted by expert interviews with healthcare specialists, we identified the status quo of interdisciplinary research in academia on ethical considerations and dimensions of AI in hospitals. We found 15 fundamental manuscripts by constructing a citation network for the ethical discourse, and we extracted actionable principles and their relationships. We provide an agenda to guide academia, framed under the principles of biomedical ethics. We provide an understanding of the current ethical discourse of AI in clinical environments, identify where further research is pressingly needed, and discuss additional research questions that should be addressed. We also guide practitioners to acknowledge AI-related benefits in hospitals and to understand the related ethical concerns.

Engaging Undergraduate Public Health Students Through a Textbook Creation Project

2020 ◽  
pp. 237337992096241
Author(s):  
Jessica Sloan Kruger ◽  
Christopher Hollister
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Open Educational Resource ◽  
Educational Resource ◽  
Final Version ◽  
Primary Motivation ◽  
Course Content ◽  
Health Course ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Undergraduate Public Health

This study examines students’ perceptions of an open pedagogy experiment in which they created their own textbook for an undergraduate public health course. The lead author’s primary motivation for developing this assignment was the high cost associated with the traditional textbooks that were otherwise needed to cover the breadth of subject matter in the course. The resulting open textbook included 19 chapters, covering all the required components of the course, and the final version was published in a statewide open educational resource repository. Students provided feedback about this undertaking by way of an end-of-term survey. The results showed high percentages of students who associated the textbook creation project with greater engagement and satisfaction than the passive use of traditional textbooks. Students also reported their perception of a learning benefit related to the creation of course content. Pedagogical implications of this study are discussed, and future research questions are proposed.

scholarly journals ENGINEERING STUDENT ATTAINMENT AND ENGAGEMENT THROUGHOUT THE DESIGN PROCESS

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 1373-1382
Author(s):  
Avril Thomson ◽  
Hilary Grierson
Keyword(s):  
Design Process ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Project Work ◽  
Design Engineering ◽  
Engineering Student ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Main Research ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Design Students ◽  
Major Project

AbstractThe paper reports on a study that aims to gain an understanding of how senior engineering design students engage and attain throughout the various stages of the design process during a major design project. Following a literature review it sets out to answer 3 main research questionsQ1. Do students engage more with certain stages of the design process during major project work?;Q2. Do students attain better during certain phases of the design process during major project ?Q3. Is there a difference in this attainment between year groups of the same degree programme ?The methodology adopted employs an analysis of marks and an online questionnaire to collect data. Patterns and trends in how senior BEng and MEng Product Design Engineering students engage and attain within the design process are presented, identified and discussed and in turn used to inform reflection on the research questions set.

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