Analyzing Problems and Solutions in STEM

What to Include in Each Element

• Element A: Problem Presentation and Justification: Clearly and objectively define the problem, detail the problem's justification with concerns of many stakeholders. Use comprehensive, up-to-date and credible sources. Detail should be consistent and objective. The information should allow measurable design requirements to be determined.
• Reflective Questions: Consider the problem’s objective problem statement, background, context, and who believes it's worth solving and why.
• Element A Content: Include a problem statement, background/statistics, problem validation (e.g., experts' credentials, consumer/user surveys, interviews, scholarly articles), and a summary of existing products/patents.

Element B: Documentation and Analysis of Prior Solution Attempts

• Documentation: Document plausible solution attempts to the problem (past and present) from credible sources.
• Analysis: Analyze the attempts, highlighting strengths and shortcomings. Support analysis with relevant data.
• Reflective Questions: Consider all methods/products/actions used to solve this or similar problems, explain why they didn't solve the core problem, explain how solution attempts were researched (extensive search), who aided in the analysis of prior attempts, and why their insights should be considered.
• Element B Content: Include an introductory paragraph explaining how information was gathered, who helped analyze solutions, patents (images, information, pros/cons), and existing products (images, price, features, pros/cons).

Element C: Presentation and Justification of Design Solution Requirements

• Design Requirements: List and prioritize design requirements. Requirements should be consistently clear, detailed, objective, measurable, likely to lead to a viable solution, and validated by stakeholders.
• Reflective Questions: Consider what requirements a new design must accomplish in order of importance to address the problem, and how these requirements were determined.
• Element C Content: Prioritize design requirements based on need. Include evidence of need and validation from stakeholders.

Element D: Design Concept Generation, Analysis, and Selection

• Process: The process of generating possible solutions should be comprehensive, iterative, and defensible.
• Analysis: Analyze generated solutions, justify selected solution. Solution selection should be well-justified and demonstrate attention to all design requirements.
• Testing and Iteration: Include considerations for testing, repetition, and validation that the solution effectively achieves stated goals.
• Reflective Questions: Document the brainstorming process, best solution explanation, and connection of solutions to design requirements.

Element E: Application of STEM Principles and Practices

• Application: Incorporate STEM principles and practices into the proposed solution.
• Expert Review: Provide substantial evidence of application and review by qualified experts of those principles and practices.
• Reflective Questions: Ensure proposed solutions are based on sound logic and subject-matter expertise, and rationale for proposed design.
• Element E Content: Include introductory paragraph detailing approach, and show how design uses STEM principles, explain rationale, and include calculations, testing, and data gathering.

Element F: Consideration of Design Viability

• Realism: Review the design based on extra-functional considerations, ensuring the proposed solution is realistic beyond the classroom or lab.
• Sustainability Considerations: Consider how the design can be implemented effectively and sustainably. Include justification.
• Reflective Questions: Explain how the proposed design has merit and could be successfully implemented on a large scale, how the design would be accessible to targeted users, and how to convince others to invest or trust the design.
• Element F Content: Explain market analysis, identify competitive solutions, cost comparisons, and how it will be produced and distributed.

Element G: Construction of a Testable Prototype

• Prototyping: Construct a prototype that allows for objective data collection on design requirements.
• Testability: Ensure all testable attributes (sub-systems) are included in the prototype for thorough testing, and rationale for any untestable attributes.
• Reflective Questions: Consider how the prototype will allow for data collection to adequately show how well it addresses design requirements.
• Element G Content: Describe prototyping process, details of construction, and rationalization of choices.

Element H: Prototype Testing and Data Collection

• Testing: Effectively describes testing of design requirements. Explain how tests will yield objective data, rationale behind each design test.
• Data Collection: Include a detailed plan for collecting data.
• Reflective Questions: Outline the testing strategy and how the tests will enable the collection of credible data on the effectiveness of the design.
• Element H Content: Explain plan to test the prototype, link to design specifications, describe material choices, and design refinements.

Element I: Testing, Data Collection, and Analysis

• Thorough Testing: Demonstrate considerable understanding of testing procedure, including data gathering and analysis.
• Expert Review: Include expert reviews, visuals, graphs, and charts to analyze test results. Include a summary of the test's implications for solving the problem.
• Reflective Questions: Document lessons learned from the tests regarding the design's success. Explanation for any "failed" tests.
• Element I Content: Describe data collection methods, present data tables/graphs, and analyze data explaining learnings and needed changes from testing.

Element J: Documentation of External Evaluation

• External Evaluation: Document the project evaluation by credible stakeholders and field experts.
• Synthesis: Synthesize multiple evaluations, address evaluators' concerns and questions, and provide justification for the design evaluation.
• Reflective Questions: Document feedback or critiques received by external entities. Consider how the project addresses stakeholders' opinions and concerns.
• Element J Content: Include intro paragraph on feedback gathering process, examples of critiques from experts/stakeholders, and summarize the feedback. Provide reactions and changes for feedback.

Element K: Reflection on the Design Project

• Project Reflection: Provide a comprehensive reflection on the design process and lessons learned.
• Improvement Considerations: Identify areas for improvement in the design process for future similar projects.
• Reflective Questions: Describe what would be done differently if the project were repeated and possible recommendations for future projects.
• Element K Content: Describe project’s successful and problematic aspects of the project, propose changes or refinements for future use if replicating. Explain any lessons learned.

Element L: Presentation of Designer's Recommendations

• Future Projects: Provide detailed recommendations for conducting similar projects in the future.
• Improvements: Include caveats, suggest ways to improve the identified design, and include detailed improvement plans.
• Reflective Questions: Describe what changes would be made to the design in the future and how to improve future versions of the project.

Element M: Presentation of the Project Portfolio

• Detailed Documentation: Provide clear, detailed, and extensive documentation of the design process and project.
• Audience Considerations: Tailor the presentation style and tone towards the intended audience with proper justification.
• Reflective Questions: Consider whether the documentation is easily replicable and understandable, if modifications are well-documented, and overall presentation effectiveness.

Element N: Writing like an Engineer

• Clarity and Organization: Demonstrate clear, well-organized writing suitable for your target audience.
• Adjustability: Adjust writing style and tone to address various audience types (informed, general).
• Formalities: Use appropriate writing forms and citation styles (e.g., APA or MLA).
• Reflective Questions: Document audience-driven decisions to ensure the writing aligns with desired audiences. Explain how writing choices reflect intended communication goals, if the writing style suits the audience, and if the document is easy to replicate or understand.