Ill-structured problem solving in a workplace simulation environment: Challenges of the learning experience and skills developed

Engineering workplace problems are complex and ill-structured. Students should be faced with this kind of problems during their studies in order to be better prepared for the workplace. However, there is still little evidence on the strategies to support students´ learning during workplace problem solving. The general objective of our on-going research is to identify teaching strategies that would best support students in solving ill-structured problems while preparing them to step into the work environment after graduating from the conventional engineering curricula. To this end we designed the professional practice course for final year Information and Communication Technology (ICT) engineering students. Educational principles applied include problem and project based learning, workplace simulation and experiential learning. In this paper we describe the research design that centers on determining the challenges that students perceive during different phases of ill-structured problem solving process, with relationship to their learning styles and skills development.