Tolerance for ambiguity: An investigation on its effect on student design performance

Abstract

Design is a common activity for most disciplines in engineering. Therefore, introductory engineering courses are developed to include design activities as the main driver for the curriculum. Despite this fact, however, it can not be concluded that the implementation of design teaching is done in a way conducive to student learning. While there could be several reasons for this, this paper specifically investigates the effect of tolerance for ambiguity on student design performance. An analysis of the data collected for this investigation reveals the beneficial effects of higher tolerance for ambiguity on increased efficacy, satisfaction, and conflict resolution in the context of an open-ended, team-based, industry-sponsored engineering design project. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2006.