ERI: From Concept to Cognition: Quantifying Motivation and Evaluating Design Problem Representations via Neurocognitive Approaches

This Engineering Research Initiation (ERI) project supports research investigating how different representations of engineering design problems influence undergraduate student motivation and cognitive engagement. In many engineering programs, design courses serve as critical turning points in a student’s academic experience. However, the way design challenges are traditionally presented, often as rigid, text-based problem statements, may not fully support how novice engineers think, learn, or are motivated. This study explores whether alternative representations, such as scaffolded prompts or visual formats, can better engage students, reduce cognitive overload, and improve overall performance. To answer these questions, the project will use a combination of neurocognitive tools (including EEG and fNIRS) and motivation assessments (using the validated Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire). Undergraduate mechanical engineering students will complete a series of design tasks while their brain activity and self-reported motivation are measured. The research will compare how students respond to traditional versus alternative design problem representations and will examine how those responses vary across different levels of academic experience. This research project seeks to develop evidence-based recommendations for how engineering design challenges can be structured to foster student success. These findings will contribute to a deeper understanding of how students engage with open-ended problems and will inform practical teaching strategies that improve persistence, especially among students who may otherwise struggle to connect with engineering design early in their education. This research has the potential to benefit a wide range of stakeholders, including faculty looking to improve their design curriculum and industry partners interested in preparing students for collaborative, creative problem-solving. Results will be shared broadly through publications, conference presentations, instructional workshops, and open-access teaching materials, with the goal of supporting scalable improvements to design practices. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.