BOARD # 225: Applying socially engaged design skills: Mechanical engineering students’ senior capstone experiences (IUSE: EDU)

Jin Woo Lee; Carlos Gunera; Erika A Mosyjowski; Shanna R. Daly

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Conference: 2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Publication Date: June 22, 2025
Start Date: June 22, 2025
End Date: August 15, 2025
Conference Session: NSF Grantees Poster Session I
Tagged Topic: NSF Grantees Poster Session
Page Count: 6
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/55583
Download Count: 1

Paper Authors

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Jin Woo Lee California State University, Fullerton

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Dr. Jin Woo Lee received his Ph.D. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan, and B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Binghamton University. Dr. Jin Woo Lee's research focuses on design theory and methodology, product design, and design education.

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Carlos Gunera California State University, Fullerton

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Erika A Mosyjowski University of Michigan

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Erika Mosyjowski is the Research and Faculty Engagement Manager in the Center for Socially Engaged Design within University of Michigan College of Engineering. She earned a PhD and MA in Higher Education from Michigan and a Bachelor's in Psychology and Sociology from Case Western Reserve University.

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Shanna R. Daly University of Michigan orcid.org/0000-0002-4698-2973

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Shanna Daly is an Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan. She has a B.E. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Dayton and a Ph.D. in Engineering Education from Purdue University.

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Abstract

There is a growing need to equip engineers with sociotechnical skills that integrate technical expertise with an understanding of social and contextual factors to effectively address design problems. Although ABET and national reports highlight the importance of accounting for social and contextual factors, these skills are often underemphasized in engineering curricula. The Social Engagement Toolkit (SET) was developed to provide students with the skills needed to identify and address social and contextual aspects of engineering work. The SET includes instructional materials on a wide range of topics and the content is grounded in research that incorporates recommended socially engaged engineering design practices and strategies. This work has received funding from the NSF Improving Undergraduate STEM Education program.

This study implemented several SET modules in a two-semester mechanical engineering senior design course and examined how these modules influenced students’ capstone design projects. Several modules including those focused on design requirements and specifications, design interviewing, concept generation and development, and concept selection and prototyping were used to provide instruction. To understand how these SET modules informed students’ project work, we drew on student reflection assignments collected throughout the semester. These reflections asked students to identify how each module influenced their design projects. Students described that the design requirements and specifications module helped them have guidelines for their design projects and supported communication with stakeholders. The design interviewing module provided guidance on developing structured conversations with stakeholders for information gathering and building rapport with stakeholders. The concept generation and development module aided them in considering diverse concepts that can be shared with stakeholders and synthesizing multiple concepts into their final design. The concept selection and prototyping module supported design iterations with their stakeholders. Using multiple SET modules to complement the learning objectives in a senior capstone design course provided valuable support for mechanical engineering students working on their projects to leverage recommended design approaches and incorporate sociotechnical thinking

Citation
Format

Lee, J. W., & Gunera, C., & Mosyjowski, E. A., & Daly, S. R. (2025, June), BOARD # 225: Applying socially engaged design skills: Mechanical engineering students’ senior capstone experiences (IUSE: EDU) Paper presented at 2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition , Montreal, Quebec, Canada . https://peer.asee.org/55583

TY - CPAPER
AB - There is a growing need to equip engineers with sociotechnical skills that integrate technical expertise with an understanding of social and contextual factors to effectively address design problems. Although ABET and national reports highlight the importance of accounting for social and contextual factors, these skills are often underemphasized in engineering curricula. The Social Engagement Toolkit (SET) was developed to provide students with the skills needed to identify and address social and contextual aspects of engineering work. The SET includes instructional materials on a wide range of topics and the content is grounded in research that incorporates recommended socially engaged engineering design practices and strategies. This work has received funding from the NSF Improving Undergraduate STEM Education program.

This study implemented several SET modules in a two-semester mechanical engineering senior design course and examined how these modules influenced students’ capstone design projects. Several modules including those focused on design requirements and specifications, design interviewing, concept generation and development, and concept selection and prototyping were used to provide instruction. To understand how these SET modules informed students’ project work, we drew on student reflection assignments collected throughout the semester. These reflections asked students to identify how each module influenced their design projects. Students described that the design requirements and specifications module helped them have guidelines for their design projects and supported communication with stakeholders. The design interviewing module provided guidance on developing structured conversations with stakeholders for information gathering and building rapport with stakeholders. The concept generation and development module aided them in considering diverse concepts that can be shared with stakeholders and synthesizing multiple concepts into their final design. The concept selection and prototyping module supported design iterations with their stakeholders. Using multiple SET modules to complement the learning objectives in a senior capstone design course provided valuable support for mechanical engineering students working on their projects to leverage recommended design approaches and incorporate sociotechnical thinking
AU - Jin Woo Lee
AU - Carlos Gunera
AU - Erika A Mosyjowski
AU - Shanna R. Daly
CY - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
DA - 2025/06/22
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - BOARD # 225: Applying socially engaged design skills: Mechanical engineering students’ senior capstone experiences (IUSE: EDU)
UR - https://peer.asee.org/55583
ER -