Cognitive styles and implications for the engineering curriculum

In an effort to assess the effects of cognitive style and the structure of an engineering curriculum on student learning, Gordon's Cognitive Style typology was used to characterize faculty and students in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Clemson University. Gordon's typology provides measures which characterize those aspects of learning that involve creativity, problem solving, and problem identification. Originated to examine scientific creativity and research styles, it was subsequently found to be a predictor of scientists' choice of career fields and has been correlated with performance of engineering students on tasks of different types. The results of the study using this typology were used to assess the effect of design activities and selected courses on performance and retention of students students of different cognitive styles. The results of cognitive style typing for Clemson students were examined for success in different curriculum areas and for attrition by cognitive style. The results suggest that the existing curriculum disadvantages one cognitive style more so than others. They also indicate that faculty/student differences are significant issues that deserve further study.