#849: Facing Uncertainty and Ambiguity: Improvisation as a Mechanism for Problem-solving in Engineering

Engineers and those learning to engineer engage with problem-solving as a disciplinary practice, including its uncertainties and ambiguities. However, engineering students rarely have opportunities to participate in open-ended and ill-structured, socially-oriented, problem solving. If students were afforded such opportunities, they could develop practical solutions where theoretical knowledge alone may fall short to meet the needs and wants of communities. Here, improvisation becomes a feature of the processes and practices for generating practical solutions. Although the notion of engineers improvising is relatively new, improvisation has been key for practicing open-ended problem solving in art disciplines. In the arts, improvisation is a competence that can be learned and improved through teamwork, collaboration, knowledge of the discipline and creativity, all of which are as important to engineering learning. Thus, this paper argues that improvisation in engineering learning affords for creative problem solving.