Collaborating with colleagues at the Center for Enhancement for Teaching and Learning at Georgia Tech, Dr. Lisa Benson was invited to do just that. Dr. Benson conducted a Teaching Enhancement Workshop called “Developing our Students as Problem Solvers” at Georgia Tech on January 15, 2015.
Thirty graduate students, faculty and post-docs attended from disciplines in engineering as well as social sciences. During the workshop, participants learned about research in problem solving, ways to teach students to solve problems more effectively, and a research-based method to assess students’ problem solutions that focuses more on the process than the product.
“Research shows that certain aspects of solving problems are more challenging for students, specifically stating assumptions, creating an effective diagram or sketch of the system, and checking that the solution is reasonable.” says Dr. Benson, “By focusing on the process of doing these tasks, we can help our students become better problem solvers.”
Dr. Benson plans to conduct the workshop at other institutions, including Clemson.
