2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Problem-solving before Instruction has emerged as a critical pedagogical approach in education, offering a robust framework for enhancing deep learning and problem-solving skills. In traditional engineering courses, students are often guided through structured instruction before attempting to solve problems, which can limit opportunities for exploring the underlying complexity of concepts. In contrast, Problem-solving before Instruction reverses this sequence, requiring students to first engage with challenging, ill-structured problems before receiving formal instruction. This process encourages active exploration, creative thinking, and resilience, as students must draw upon prior knowledge, make connections, and confront gaps in their understanding.

This study presents a teaching intervention aimed at improving learning comprehension in an electrical circuits course at an Electrical and Computer Engineering faculty by utilizing the concept of Problem-solving before Instruction during an applied module on transients in second order electrical circuits. The intervention, which targeted a specific learning module of the whole course, had students work in groups to solve open-ended circuit analysis problems involving differential equations before receiving formal guidance on solution methods. Notably, while students took prerequisite courses on differential equations, the challenge in this module was the implementation in an electric circuits context. The intent was to engage students in deeper cognitive processes as they attempted to solve the problems based on prior knowledge of circuits analysis, calculus and algebra. Following this productive struggle, targeted instruction on solving differential equations in circuit analysis was delivered via fully recorded lecture and in-class tutorial lesson, linking theory to the challenges students had encountered.

Preliminary results reveal that problem-solving before Instruction led to higher levels of conceptual understanding and problem-solving ability compared to the content covered in the other, lecture-based teaching modules. Further, students reported a positive learning experience, emphasizing the contribution of the closer interaction with the teaching staff as well as the opportunity to engage in hands-on problem-solving activities. These findings indicate that Problem-solving before Instruction can be an effective pedagogical approach for enhancing comprehension in complex engineering topics, particularly where mathematical modeling and real-world application intersect. This approach encourages active learning, promotes resilience in problem-solving, and leads to a deeper grasp of both the mathematical and dynamical behavior of electrical circuits.