Gift Expands UC San Diego Efforts to Teach Engineering Problem Solving at Scale

Originally published on UC San Diego Today

More than 5,300 high school students in the San Diego region have already benefitted from an innovative program that teaches engineering problem solving to non-engineers. A new $1.51 million gift from the Girard Foundation will enable the University of California San Diego team to continue to scale up these efforts, and ensure their long-term sustainability. 

The goal is to better prepare the region’s technical workforce by teaching a wide range of students - as early as high school - to solve problems like engineers. The curriculum has been developed by educators and engineers at UC San Diego in collaboration with educators across the region.

Problem solving is the most universal skill sought by employers, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, with nearly 90% of recruiters saying they are looking for a candidate’s ability to solve problems. Engineers and computer scientists learn to become highly effective problem solvers as part of their education. However, these critical thinking skills are generally only taught and practiced in upper division engineering and computer science courses. This project is designed to create a range of opportunities to give as many students as possible access to these skills as a strategy for unlocking better career opportunities.

A new high school physics course developed by the UC San Diego team aims to do that by meeting students where they are. The course embeds real-world problem-solving concepts used by engineers into the high school physics curriculum, and is now offered as a standard class that fulfills a science requirement in three high schools in the San Diego Unified School District.

With this new support from the San Diego- based Girard Foundation, the UC San Diego team will expand the number of high schools offering the A-G-approved problem-solving physics course, and will now be able to create high school curricula and teacher training opportunities aimed at bringing these engineering-derived critical thinking techniques into high school chemistry and biology courses in the San Diego region and across the country.

In addition to this work to engage students at the high school level, funding from the gift supports efforts to expand a college-level problem-solving course for students of all majors that was piloted this spring at UC San Diego.

“Kudos to this world-class university for not only innovating their own model, but for also helping to bring the surrounding K-12 curriculum up to world-class levels,” said Buzz Woolley, President of the Girard Foundation, which supports innovation in education.

At UC San Diego, this project is a partnership between the Jacobs School of Engineering and the Division of Extended Studies. Since 2020, UC San Diego has brought the problem-solving skills that are a core part of the education of engineers and computer scientists at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering to this broader group of high school teachers and students. 

Expanding access to critical curricula

“We are working hard to make technical jobs with growth potential accessible to as large and broad a group of people in San Diego as possible. This is one of the ways we have outsized positive impact as a School," said Albert P. Pisano, Dean of the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering and Special Adviser to the Chancellor. “Technical problem solving is a transferable skill that everyone deserves access to. Through this wonderful collaboration, we have created new ways to provide access to these transformative skills – and now we are working to make these opportunities permanent across the region."

So far, this effort has introduced engineering problem-solving skills to more than 5,300 high school students in the San Diego region in 22 schools across seven school districts through teacher training programs, summer courses for students, and the new problem-solving physics course offered directly in high schools. Students taking the hybrid problem-solving physics course get core physics fundamentals, while at the same time learning and practicing engineering problem-solving skills. 

The UC San Diego team works closely with the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) to implement the hybrid problem-solving physics course in their curriculum. The course is A-G-approved, meaning it fulfills University of California and California State University subject requirements.

"At San Diego Unified, we truly value this initiative for the way it weaves problem solving and science into meaningful, real world contexts through engaging design challenges,” said Julie Garcia, senior director of Future Ready Learning at San Diego Unified School District. “It’s not just about learning concepts, it’s about giving students the opportunity to think critically, collaborate, and create solutions that matter. Initiatives like this help our students see the connection between what they’re learning in the classroom and the world around them.”

The UC San Diego team also works directly with teachers in another six districts to share the course materials through special summer teacher training programs. This gift will enable the team to deepen ties with these school districts with a goal of offering these hybrid courses as part of their standard curriculum. In addition to SDUSD, students in Poway Unified School District, Sweetwater Union High School District, San Dieguito Union High School District, Grossmont Union High School District, Imperial Unified School District, and Carlsbad Unified School District have participated in these problem-solving programs.

"Introducing problem-solving skills to high school students is just one example of how our pre-college programs open doors and spark ambition,” said Extended Studies Dean Hugo O. Villar. “At UC San Diego Division of Extended Studies, we’re proud to work with teachers and Jacobs School of Engineering to offer one more experience that prepares young learners to discover new possibilities for their futures, from college readiness to career pathways and beyond.”

As the team works to expand this unique physics curriculum to many more high schools and students, they are also looking to extend this approach to high school chemistry and biology courses.

“If we want to teach problem solving at scale, we have to meet students where they are. By embedding these strategies into required high school science courses, we ensure that tens of thousands of students, not just the few who opt in to electives, gain sustained practice in critical thinking,” said Alex Phan, executive director for Student Success at the Jacobs School of Engineering and the lead on the project. “We’re also creating a community of practice that supports students throughout their educational journey, no matter their career pathway.”

High school teachers are key players in this community of practice. For four years, the UC San Diego team has hosted teacher training programs over the summer to introduce these critical thinking skills and the associated activities and curriculums, so teachers can bring these concepts back to their classrooms – even if the new curriculum is not officially offered at their school yet. The goal is to increase the number of students able to access these skills.

UC San Diego students participate in a general education course on creative problem solving (ENG 30 - Problem Solving for the 21st Century Changemaker), first offered in Spring 2025.

College-level courses

In addition to reaching high school students, the team is working to expand problem-solving offerings to college students outside of engineering and computer science majors. At UC San Diego, this led to the development and first offering of a general education course on creative problem solving in Spring 2025. This gift will enable the team to build on that foundation, creating a new version of the course tailored for larger enrollment classes and offered more broadly to all UC San Diego students.

AI-Driven Problem Solving

The UC San Diego team will also develop an AI chatbot that high school and college students can interact with as they practice their problem-solving skills. This will build on a larger AI tutor already being developed by computer scientists at UC San Diego. Unlike many commercially available tools that simply provide answers, this chatbot will be designed to guide students through critical thinking processes, encouraging them to reason through problems rather than rely on shortcuts. The tool aims to support the development of foundational thinking skills while also introducing students, especially those in high school, to the productive use of AI in education. By engaging with the chatbot, students will gain early exposure to AI technologies and learn how to leverage them thoughtfully as part of their learning journey.

“Our efforts to inspire new generations moving into the technical workforce are a wonderful example of how we power emerging industries through workforce development,” said Pisano. “By creating opportunities for high schools and colleges to teach problem solving at scale, we are training an ever increasing innovation workforce for the economy to come.”

Division of Extended Studies Pre-College Programs

Visit UC San Diego Extended Studies Pre-College Programs to learn about other courses for high school students. 

Programs provide an opportunity for students to explore an academic interest in depth, investigate a subject they are curious about, and gain excellent preparation for the increasingly competitive college admission process. Each offering is designed to engage students in an intensive exploration of a specific topic through lectures, discussions, and individual and group work.