Bioinspired Design Instruction Methods: A Quality Improvement Study
Abstract
This quality improvement study investigates how functional decomposition instruction influences the quality, quantity, variety, and novelty of bioinspired engineering design solutions among undergraduate students. The study aims to validate the effectiveness of functional decomposition for enhancing engineering education. This study is inspired by the belief that bioinspired design principles can make a system more resilient and innovative when used in conjunction with functional decomposition. Despite the widespread application of bioinspired design, the advantages of specifically using functional decomposition have not fully been explored. By conducting a controlled experiment with undergraduate participants from the College of Engineering at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, this study compares the outcomes of students trained exclusively in bioinspired design against those who received additional instruction in functional decomposition. Both groups were presented with the same engineering design challenge to assess the impact of functional decomposition on the innovativeness and quality of their solutions. Results showed a significant increase in solution quantity for students receiving functional decomposition instruction but no significant differences in quality, variety, or novelty. This suggests functional decomposition may enhance productivity but not necessarily the innovativeness of bioinspired design solutions, highlighting the need for further research and refined instructional methods in engineering education.
Bioinspired Design Instruction Methods: A Quality Improvement Study
This quality improvement study investigates how functional decomposition instruction influences the quality, quantity, variety, and novelty of bioinspired engineering design solutions among undergraduate students. The study aims to validate the effectiveness of functional decomposition for enhancing engineering education. This study is inspired by the belief that bioinspired design principles can make a system more resilient and innovative when used in conjunction with functional decomposition. Despite the widespread application of bioinspired design, the advantages of specifically using functional decomposition have not fully been explored. By conducting a controlled experiment with undergraduate participants from the College of Engineering at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, this study compares the outcomes of students trained exclusively in bioinspired design against those who received additional instruction in functional decomposition. Both groups were presented with the same engineering design challenge to assess the impact of functional decomposition on the innovativeness and quality of their solutions. Results showed a significant increase in solution quantity for students receiving functional decomposition instruction but no significant differences in quality, variety, or novelty. This suggests functional decomposition may enhance productivity but not necessarily the innovativeness of bioinspired design solutions, highlighting the need for further research and refined instructional methods in engineering education.