2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

A Systematic Review of the Literature on Engineering Requirements and the Framing of Design Problems in Engineering Education

Through an ongoing systematic review, we seek to understand the literature related to the role of engineering requirements in the problem framing process. A systematic literature search from the past 30 years resulted in 2236 results related to the development and use of requirements across engineering disciplines in industry, research, and education settings. In this manuscript, we present findings of a synthesis toward identifying gaps within educational engineering settings. Review for the inclusion and exclusion criteria—reporting on the development and not just use of requirements—resulted in 80 papers retained. Using an analytical framework that considers the role of abductive reasoning in design, the qualitative to quantitative translation of requirements, and the extent of student involvement in defining engineering requirements, we characterized the nature of problem framing experiences in design education. Among the study findings, three stand out. First, there is a need for design education research grounded in relevant design theory and that provides more detailed information about the nature of the student experience. Second, less than half of reported design experiences provide opportunity for students to engage in abductive reasoning typical of design, and only slightly more than half of those experiences involved students in requirements setting. Third, the majority of abductive experiences are engaged by first-year and senior students, while students in the middle years engage in theory focused experiences where design serves as an inauthentic façade. We consider implications of these findings as it relates to undergraduate engineers’ preparation for practice and offer suggestions on how student practice with setting and working with engineering requirements might be better integrated in undergraduate education.

Authors

Dr. Andrew Olewnik University at Buffalo, The State University of New York [biography]

Andrew Olewnik is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Engineering Education at the University at Buffalo. His research includes undergraduate engineering education with focus on engineering design, problem-based learning, co-curricular involvement and its impact on professional formation, and the role of reflection practices in supporting engineering undergraduates as they transition from student to professional.
Dr. Vanessa Svihla http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4342-6178 University of New Mexico [biography]

Dr. Vanessa Svihla is a Professor in Organization, Information & Learning Sciences and in Chemical & Biological Engineering at the University of New Mexico. Dr. Svihla received the National Academy of Education / Spencer Postdoctoral Scholarship and the NSF CAREER Award, which President Biden also recognized with a PECASE. Their scholarship has been recognized for its contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion by the American Society for Engineering Education and the Professional and Organizational Development Network. Dr. Svihla, a disabled and chronically-ill scholar, studies how people learn as they frame problems in power-laden systems and how these activities relate to identity, agency, creativity, equity, and organizational change.
Dr. Ruben D. Lopez-Parra http://orcid.org/0009-0007-8901-5688 Universidad del Norte [biography]

Ruben D. Lopez-Parra is an Assistant Professor in the Instituto de Estudios en Educación (Institute for Educational Studies) at the Universidad del Norte in Colombia. His Ph.D. is in Engineering Education from Purdue University, and he has worked as a K-16 STEM instructor and curriculum designer using various evidence-based learning strategies. In 2015, Ruben earned an M.S. in Chemical Engineering at Universidad de los Andes in Colombia, where he also received the title of Chemical Engineer in 2012. His research interests are grounded in the learning sciences and include how K-16 students develop engineering thinking and professional skills when addressing complex socio-technical problems. He aims to apply his research to the design of better educational experiences.

Note

The full paper will be available to logged in and registered conference attendees once the conference starts on June 22, 2025, and to all visitors after the conference ends on June 25, 2025