Interview Questions
Expert Interview:
1. When do you first recall becoming interested in engineering?
2. When faced with a new task or project how do you begin? What are the first steps you take?
3. What is your concept or definition of what it means to be an engineer?
a. Taking this a step further what do you think makes someone an engineer?
4. Based on these qualities and steps you’ve identified would you call yourself an engineer?
a. Follow up: why or why not?
5. If so, what types of things both in and out of school influenced you into becoming or identifying
as an engineer?
6. As an engineer what inspires you? Where does your inspiration come from?
7. What do you specifically believe identifies you as an engineer?
Expert #1
· I want to design a doorstop that doesn’t require me to bend over, readjust, squash my fingers,
etc. I also get frustrated by how the doorstop slips frequently and doesn’t stop the door. And
sometimes, when I readjust, it gets stuck and it’s difficult to get out.
· Describe the process you would undertake to design such a doorstop. I’m not asking you to
solve the problem immediately. But what kind of work would you do? What kind of roadblocks
might get in your way? If there are roadblocks, what might you do?
o What would you do first?
o What materials do you need/want? Where can I find these materials
o Would you enlist others? Who? Why? What roles would they fulfill?
o What would you say is your ultimate goal in this project?
o If I were doing this for the first time, would I be able to do it? How might it be
different for me, a beginner? Could you explain your process to me?
o How can I tell how well someone is learning the engineer’s design process? Are
there any performance standards (for example, time, efficiency, quality indicators)
that the person performing this process must achieve that would guide us in
evaluating the performance of those who are learning and using this process?
o Are there any specific sensory experiences that learners must have in order to
perform the process?
 smell? texture? or taste? identify a specific sound or set of sounds? see
something unusual?
Expert#2
· I want to design a doorstop that doesn’t require me to bend over, readjust, squash my fingers,
etc. I also get frustrated by how the doorstop slips frequently and doesn’t stop the door. And
sometimes, when I readjust, it gets stuck and it’s difficult to get out.
· This is the process described by another expert, like you. What do you think this person did well,
and what do you think wasn’t done well? What would you change? Please describe in detail how
you would fix this person’s work, and why you would choose to make those changes.
Expert Activity:
· Have the expert design and print something using Sketchup
· Use this as a “think aloud”
o This will help us to better under the expert thought process
o To hone in on this process we will have them talk through what they are designing in
Sketchup