Grade 11 - System Integration(Problem Solving)

This sub-organizer contains the following sections:
Prescribed Learning Outcomes
Suggested Instructional Strategies
Suggested Assessment Strategies
Recommended Learning Resources

PRESCRIBED LEARNING OUTCOMES

It is expected that students will:

assess the performance of systems and subsystems using test equipment and prescribed procedures
justify solutions to systems integration problems
demonstrate personal responsibility in group efforts to identify and solve systems integration problems

To view the prescribed learning outcomes for System Integration (Problem Solving) in other grades click on an icon below.

SUGGESTED INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

Identifying problems in integrated systems is fundamental to a career in technology. Students gain effective troubleshooting skills through hands-on experiences and by illustrating the paths they use to isolate and diagnose malfunctions.

Discuss with students the versatility of a multimeter. Have them use a multimeter to diagnose a non-working circuit (e.g., flashlight, cyborg). Then ask them to produce flow charts of the testing procedures they used. To facilitate student understanding of the use of flow charts in solving system problems, pose questions such as:
- How was the multimeter useful in this process?
- How do you establish priority for each step?

To facilitate student understanding of the use of test equipment and diagnostic procedures, have one group of students use equipment to randomly test a non-working circuit while another group uses logic to develop a flow chart for assessing performance. Discuss with students the relative merits of the two procedures (e.g., cost-effectiveness, accuracy).
Provide teams of students with faulty circuits (e.g., circuit board, alternator). Have each team sketch a flow chart to locate the fault (e.g., open circuit, short circuit). Then ask each to create a new fault and challenge another group to locate the fault using the flow chart.

SUGGESTED ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES

As students assess the performance of systems and subsystems, they can demonstrate their abilities to use test equipment, apply diagnostic procedures, and develop flow charts.

When students are engaged in troubleshooting, note the extent to which they are able to:
- approach the problem systematically
- identify interrelationships among various parts
- identify the impact of a failed component on the system
- explore alternative solutions
- use tools and testing equipment to facilitate the troubleshooting process
Collect students´ flow charts of troubleshooting procedures used to determine a malfunction in an integrated system. Look for evidence that students are able to:
- identify the purpose of the subsystems
- systematically test the subsystems to isolate the malfunction
- identify the cause of the malfunction
- explore and test alternative solutions
Conference with students individually about their contributions to their troubleshooting teams. Pose questions such as:
- What were your specific contributions to the group?
- As your group encountered problems, what strategies did you use to help?
- What will you do differently next time?
After students work in a group problem-solving situation, ask them to reflect on their problem-solving skills by individually responding to the following sentence stems:
- One thing I had difficulty understanding was ____________.
- Some things I already knew that helped me work on this problem were ____________.
- One strategy I suggested to the group was ____________.
- An idea I got from another group member was ____________.