Problem definition
Do now
Define a medical innovation problem with a clear, evidence-based problem statement.
- Hand in
- Innovation problem definition: specific problem statement supported by cited evidence, and a named list of affected stakeholders.
- Where
- Turn this in at the drop folder with your district Microsoft sign-in, or hand it to Mr. Mendoza in class. Both count as submitted. Doing the activity in myPLTW does not.
You get two school days for every day you were absent, so this deadline moves with you.
Define a medical innovation problem with a clear, evidence-based problem statement.
Define a medical innovation problem with a clear, evidence-based problem statement.
- • Your problem statement is specific and evidence-based.
- • You can name the stakeholders affected.
- What do you already know about Problem definition?
- What would you need to find out to answer today's question?
- 1Choose a healthcare problem from your earlier work or research.
- 2Write a specific, measurable problem statement.
- 3Cite evidence showing the problem is real and significant.
- 4Identify the stakeholders most affected.
- 5Submit your problem definition.
What did this day actually feel like?
Problem definition
Defining our own problem, properly, with evidence that it is real and affects specific people.
I brought the pill bottle. Arthritis, childproof caps, and the fact that the people least able to open them are the ones with the most prescriptions. I have wanted to work on this since I was fourteen and this is the first time anyone asked me to.
AT HOME, THE NIGHT BEFORE FRI MAR 19 Design criteria and constraints Criteria are what success looks like, constraints are what you cannot change. Mine include that it still has to be childproof, which is the entire difficulty. Easy for weak hands and hard for curious ones are close to opposite requirements.
AT HOME, THE NIGHT BEFORE FRI MAR 19 Design sprint and tradeoffs Fast sketching, many ideas, then killing most. Every idea traded one requirement against another and the log has to say which trade I made and why.
Turned in: notebook → Lab Notebooks folder
Fiction. There is no such student. The lessons, labs and dates are the real planned course; the student, the classmates and the conversations are invented.
The same day, drawn.
Defining our own problem, properly, with evidence that it is real and affects specific people.
Fiction. There is no such student. The lessons, labs and dates are the real planned course; the student, the classmates and the conversations are invented.
🛠 Get unstuck · pick your level
Do the work · 80-minute blockfirst 5 min = hook▸
💡 Big idea: A specific, evidence-based problem statement is the single most important artifact in any innovation project -- it determines what counts as a valid solution.
- 0-10Review problem-statement standards: specific, measurable, evidence-backed
- 10-25Choose your healthcare problem from your earlier work or new research
- 25-45Write a specific problem statement and find evidence showing the problem is real and significant
- 45-60Identify the stakeholders most affected and explain why each one matters
- 60-75Submit your problem definition
- 75-80Peer check: read a partner's problem statement and identify one gap in specificity
- • Yesterday you decided what makes an innovation worth pursuing.
- • Today you apply that thinking to a real healthcare problem you will propose a solution for.
- • A good problem statement is specific enough that someone who has never heard of your idea can evaluate whether your solution actually solves it.
- • Cite evidence -- a problem you cannot support with data is a problem you cannot design for.
- • How to write a problem statement that is specific, measurable, and grounded in cited evidence.
- • How to identify and name the stakeholders most harmed by the problem.
- • Why a vague problem statement produces vague solutions that never get built.
Pitching innovation: problem definition, criteria, constraints, and feasibility · Problem definition
Day 2 of this lesson. Open this exact section in myPLTW (find it in Clever, Microsoft sign-in), then do the work below.
Do this: Open your myPLTW course shell and locate any innovation or problem-definition activity to review the problem-statement format and evidence standards.
Mark the problem-definition activity complete in your tracker after submitting your problem definition.
The innovation-debate CER is done; by end of today a specific, evidence-based problem statement and a named stakeholder list should be submitted.
Problem definition with a specific, evidence-based problem statement and a named list of affected stakeholders.
The official PLTW activity stays inside myPLTW. If myPLTW will not open, use F1 and E1-E3 on this page to complete today's local evidence decision, then make up the official activity when access returns. Turn this in at the drop folder with your district Microsoft sign-in, or hand it to Mr. Mendoza in class. Both count as submitted. Doing the activity in myPLTW does not.
Check things off as you work, then submit. This tells Mr. Mendoza how you're doing so he can help the class. It does not replace turning in your producible through the submission route shown below.
Use the code Mr. Mendoza gave you, not your name. Saved on this device.
Pitching innovation: problem definition, criteria, constraints, and feasibility · Problem definition
Open your myPLTW course shell and locate any innovation or problem-definition activity to review the problem-statement format and evidence standards.
The innovation-debate CER is done; by end of today a specific, evidence-based problem statement and a named stakeholder list should be submitted.
This is how Mr. Mendoza sees the class keeping pace with PLTW. Be honest, it only helps if it is accurate.
🎯 Define a medical innovation problem with a clear, evidence-based problem statement.
- Choose a healthcare problem from your earlier work or research.
- Write a specific, measurable problem statement.
- Cite evidence showing the problem is real and significant.
- Identify the stakeholders most affected.
- Submit your problem definition.
Notebook check: Innovation problem definition: specific problem statement supported by cited evidence, and a named list of affected stakeholders.
Turn this in at the drop folder with your district Microsoft sign-in, or hand it to Mr. Mendoza in class. Both count as submitted. Doing the activity in myPLTW does not. Use the checklist just below and upload by 11:29 PM for full credit. Absent with an excused absence? You get two school days for every day you were absent, so this deadline moves with you.
| Task | Who |
|---|---|
| Choose a healthcare problem from your earlier work or research. | _______ |
| Write a specific, measurable problem statement. | _______ |
| Cite evidence showing the problem is real and significant. | _______ |
| Identify the stakeholders most affected. | _______ |
| Submit your problem definition. | _______ |
Working solo? Put your own name in "Who" for every row.
- Your problem statement is specific and evidence-based.
- You can name the stakeholders affected.
- 1Do thisDefine a medical innovation problem with a clear, evidence-based problem statement.
- 2Use this resource
- 3Submit thisNotebook check: Innovation problem definition: specific problem statement supported by cited evidence, and a named list of affected stakeholders.
- 4Submit it here
- 1Open the drop folder.
- 2Sign in with your district Microsoft account, not a personal one.
- 3Upload the file, named Lastname_Firstname__Assignment Title.
- 4Your own upload panel says Uploaded with a green check: that is your receipt.
Turn this in at the drop folder with your district Microsoft sign-in, or hand it to Mr. Mendoza in class. Both count as submitted. Doing the activity in myPLTW does not. Biotechnology for Health (Biomedical Innovations) › Pitching innovation: problem definition, criteria, constraints, and feasibility › Notebook checkOpen the drop folder
Learn it · deck, reading, and vocabulary▸
The deck carries the prior idea forward, lets you inspect an analogy, maps the rule to biology, and ends with the same evidence decision and exit ticket used on this page.
Generated from this lesson's canonical data with a red-team citation check.
Not every medical idea worth having is worth pursuing -- a clear decision criterion tells you how to prioritize your time and resources.
A specific, evidence-based problem statement is the single most important artifact in any innovation project -- it determines what counts as a valid solution.
A detective board holds observations, possible explanations, and one next question.
- Which notes are direct observations?
- Which notes are explanations?
- What new evidence would separate the explanations?
Keep observations separate from explanations, then collect the evidence that can distinguish the options.
Biomedical investigations use controlled procedures and validated measurements, not intuition alone.
- • Board notes map to E1-E3.
- • Possible explanations map to the decision options.
- • The next question maps to the evidence-based action.
Driving question: Define a medical innovation problem with a clear, evidence-based problem statement.
What you already know: Not every medical idea worth having is worth pursuing -- a clear decision criterion tells you how to prioritize your time and resources.
New idea: A specific, evidence-based problem statement is the single most important artifact in any innovation project -- it determines what counts as a valid solution.
Visual or model: F1. F1. A lesson illustration or teaching diagram for Problem definition. Use it with E1-E3; it is a model or context image, not experimental or patient data. What to notice: Trace the labeled system, test, or design relationship and identify which evidence should trigger revision.
- Observe or measure the relevant feature in Problem definition.
- Organize the observation with a stable evidence ID.
- Apply this rule: Keep observations separate from explanations, then collect the evidence that can distinguish the options.
- Choose the option the evidence supports and state the limit of the conclusion.
Real biomedical example: Define a medical innovation problem with a clear, evidence-based problem statement.
What the evidence supports: E1-E3 and F1 support the daily take-home when the response meets the stated success criteria.
What it cannot prove: The package does not support claims beyond this lesson's or any real patient diagnosis.
Use it now: Choose one decision option. Cite E1 and E3, then explain how the rule connects the evidence to your choice.
Go further, optional: The source links below are optional enrichment. Every fact required for today's local evidence decision appears in this lesson package.
How to write a problem statement that is specific, measurable, and grounded in cited evidence.
Limit: E1 supplies context or an observation; it does not by itself establish the explanation.
A specific, evidence-based problem statement is the single most important artifact in any innovation project -- it determines what counts as a valid solution.
Limit: E2 is a teaching statement or comparison and must be checked against the task evidence.
Your problem statement is specific and evidence-based.
Limit: E3 supports only the result or product criterion named here; it cannot justify a broader clinical or causal claim.
PLTW-BFH-2027-03-18 · Simulated classroom evidence scenario
Your role: biomedical design team member
Decision: Your team must decide what the evidence from Problem definition supports before submitting the notebook record named on the lesson page.
- • Choose the strongest supported explanation.
- • Choose the next evidence to collect.
- • Hold the decision because the evidence is insufficient.
Response: State one choice, cite at least two evidence IDs, explain the rule that connects them, and add one limitation. Submit it as the notebook record.
Claim ceiling: The supplied lesson evidence can support an observation, pattern, classroom mechanism, or next-step decision about Problem definition. It cannot by itself prove causation, establish a real clinical diagnosis, or justify action outside this classroom task.
- • The solution must address the stated need in Problem definition.
- • The decision must be supported by E1-E3.
- • The final product must make the success criteria visible.
- • Complete the work inside the 80-minute block.
- • Use only supplied or teacher-approved materials and evidence.
- • Do not trade , accessibility, or privacy for speed.
- • and evidence quality: must pass before scoring other criteria.
- • User need and effectiveness: highest scored criterion.
- • Time, cost, and ease of use: compare only after and effectiveness pass.
Test evidence: For each option, record the E1-E3 result that supports or fails each criterion. Do not assign a score without a named observation.
- Version or option tested
- Criterion met or missed
- Evidence ID and result
- Revision made
- Reason for the revision
- Need and user
- Criteria and constraints
- Chosen option and evidence
- Test result
- Revision and reason
Health problem: About 1 in 3 children under age 5 who get a middle-ear infection are diagnosed late because parents cannot tell an ear infection from ordinary fussiness at home.
Why it matters: Late diagnosis raises the risk of temporary hearing loss during peak language-learning years and drives extra clinic visits.
Evidence: Pediatric guidance reports that acute otitis media is one of the most common reasons young children are prescribed antibiotics, and that delayed treatment increases complication rates (cited: class-provided AAP summary, 2013).
Measurable target: cut the average time from first symptom to diagnosis from about 5 days to under 2 days for families using an at-home screener.
Stakeholders affected:
- Parents and caregivers of children under 5
- The children themselves, whose language development is at risk
- Pediatric clinics handling repeat visits
(Tip: a strong problem statement names WHO is affected, gives a NUMBER, and states the specific gap in current care.)
This model shows the level of evidence and organization needed to complete: States a specific, measurable health problem, backs it with cited evidence, and names the stakeholders the problem affects most.
- Date and label the entry.
- Record the procedure, observation, or design decision clearly.
- End with what the evidence means and the next step.
Keep the structure. Replace the question, facts, measurements, and evidence. Then recheck units, vocabulary, and whether the conclusion goes beyond the evidence.
Also due today: Submit your problem definition on the class site, or hand it to Mr. Mendoza in class.
- CER:
- Claim, Evidence, Reasoning: make a claim, back it with evidence, explain your reasoning.
- SOP:
- Standard Operating Procedure, the exact steps to follow (especially in a lab).
- Tracker:
- Your PLTW progress log where you record completed evidence.
- myPLTW:
- The PLTW course site where you do the online activities. Find it in Clever with your Microsoft sign-in, right next to Schoology.
Classroom documents for this lesson are posted in Schoology. Open Clever, then Schoology, and find each one by the name shown on its card.
Use this for optional reserve or extra-credit work after the required class lesson is complete.
Placement rationale
Matched Medical innovation proposal and independent project by path:Biomedical-Innovations/Problem-3_Medical-Innovation/3.1_Medical-Innovation; keywords:innovation, design. Score 142. Visibility: student-schoology (student-facing resource; link through Schoology rather than local path).
Use this for optional reserve or extra-credit work after the required class lesson is complete.
Placement rationale
Matched Medical innovation proposal and independent project by path:Biomedical-Innovations/Problem-3_Medical-Innovation/3.1_Medical-Innovation; keywords:innovation, design. Score 142. Visibility: student-schoology (student-facing resource; link through Schoology rather than local path).
Use this for optional reserve or extra-credit work after the required class lesson is complete.
Placement rationale
Matched Medical innovation proposal and independent project by path:Biomedical-Innovations/Problem-3_Medical-Innovation/3.1_Medical-Innovation; keywords:innovation, proposal, design. Score 142. Visibility: student-schoology (student-facing resource; link through Schoology rather than local path).
How to get there: open Clever and sign in with your Microsoft (district) account. Both myPLTW and Schoology are in Clever. Do the activity in myPLTW. Turn the work in on this site or hand it to Mr. Mendoza, because that is the step that counts as submitted. Schoology only shows your report-card grade later.
Check yourself · commit, then reveal▸
Claim ceiling for this check: The supplied lesson evidence can support an observation, pattern, classroom mechanism, or next-step decision about Problem definition. It cannot by itself prove causation, establish a real clinical diagnosis, or justify action outside this classroom task.
Go further and get help▸
What today's skills lead to. These are real health-science careers this course builds toward. Tap one to see, on the US Department of Labor's O*NET site, what the job actually involves, what it pays, and how fast it is growing.
Today is individual work you can do from home: complete the same target above, then submit your Notebook check.
Open the drop folderTurn this in at the drop folder with your district Microsoft sign-in, or hand it to Mr. Mendoza in class. Both count as submitted. Doing the activity in myPLTW does not.
Class still runs. Complete the online activity above (it's self-guided). Need the concept taught without a teacher? Use this authoritative explainer:
NGSS Engineering Design- CompleteEvery required part of the artifact is present, nothing left blank.
- AccurateThe science and the data are correct and match the evidence.
- Scientific reasoningYou explain your claim with evidence and reasoning (CER), not just an answer.
- Professional communicationClear, organized, labeled, and written the way a clinician or scientist would.
- SubmittedTurned in the right way, on the class site or handed to Mr. Mendoza in class, and confirmed. Not in Schoology: that is where the report-card grade appears later.