Teaching + Learning Lab

Developing Judgment to Address Wicked Problems in Engineering
2026-04-07 15:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York)
Aaron W. Johnson, SM ’10, PhD ’15, Assistant Professor, Aerospace Engineering & Core Faculty member of the Engineering Education Research Program, University of Michigan

Special guest speaker co-hosted with Aero-Astro

Engineers constantly face “wicked problems,” ill-defined and complex sociotechnical problems with undefined and often-shifting constraints and requirements. Many students enter engineering to tackle these wicked problems in their future careers; however, the well-defined, closed-ended, and decontextualized problems prevalent in undergraduate engineering education do not allow students to develop the judgment and critical thinking needed to address them.

Dr. Aaron Johnson will discuss a method to help engineering students develop the judgment needed to address wicked problems. He will share design-based research that studies learning in the context of new educational interventions. Specifically, the talk will focus on his work designing group-based open-ended problems in engineering science courses and creating a related taxonomy of emerging engineering modeling judgment. This taxonomy outlines how engineering students make informed decisions when developing and using mathematical models to address open-ended problems in class and on student project teams. The talk will conclude with practical implications for engineering education, particularly as they relate to the ever-expanding availability and capability of generative AI, and future research directions.

About the Speaker

Aaron W. Johnson is an Assistant Professor in the Aerospace Engineering Department and a Core Faculty member of the Engineering Education Research Program at the University of Michigan. He leads the SHUTTLE Lab, which conducts Studies of Holistic Understanding, Thinking, Teaching, and Learning in Engineering. The lab’s NSF-funded design-based research focuses on how to re-contextualize engineering science courses to better reflect and prepare students for the reality of ill-defined, sociotechnical engineering practice. Their current projects include studying and designing classroom interventions around macroethical issues in aerospace engineering and the productive beginnings of engineering judgment as students create and use mathematical models. Ph.D. students in the SHUTTLE Lab are also studying students’ perceptions of professional skills and the social-class worldview and experience of engineering students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds. Aaron holds a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Michigan and a Ph.D. in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Prior to re-joining Michigan, he was an instructor in Aerospace Engineering Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Panel Discussion– How AI is Changing Student Learning: Perspectives from MIT Students
2026-04-28 13:00 - 14:00
Photo: MIT Image Library

Moderated by Dr. Lourdes Alemán, in collaboration with MIT Radius

Description

As AI transforms our teaching and learning, it is important to recognize that students’ experiences and attitudes towards AI are not homogeneous. In this panel of MIT students, we will discuss how they use AI tools, the impact of these tools on their learning, and the ethical frameworks and concerns that they bring to their work. This conversation will allow educators to understand students’ perspectives on the motivations, challenges, and expectations shaping AI use today as they navigate these tools in real time.

About Radius

Radius partners with students, staff, faculty, and community members who desire to engage effectively in making the world a better place. Our programming sparks lively intellectual conversations, with the commitment go deeper than merely the exchange of ideas. We strive to inspire people to look at the world in a new way, to consider the deeper ethical implications of their actions, and take action to promote justice, dignity and peace.
