Paper ID #42821From Mind Full to Mindful: Proposing Mindfulness as a Proactive Strategyfor Safeguarding Mental Health in Engineering Education.Vanessa Tran, Utah State University Vanessa Tran is a Ph.D. candidate in Engineering Education at Utah State University (USU). She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Architecture (UAH) and a Master’s in Global Production Engineering and Management from the Vietnamese-German University (VGU) in Vietnam. Her research interest lies in enhancing the well-being of engineering students and educators. She is currently working on an NSF-funded project
treatment, accessibility technology, andmore, but have also supported and inspired younger generations of engineers from an array ofbackgrounds to pursue and succeed in engineering, bolstering engineering capacity nationwide.When assessing the ways that the NSF and NAE have conceptualized and communicatedengineering’s societal impacts, it’s important to bear in mind the explicit goals of theseinstitutions—to not only highlight societal impacts of engineering research, but tosimultaneously garner interest and participation in engineering amongst wide audiences andjustify the importance of federal funding for engineering research. Thus, visible, relatable, andpositive examples are helpful. The NAE’s current mandate explicitly states that the
moral imagination. Mit Press.Gómez, P. F. (2022). [Un]Muffled histories: Translating bodily practices in the early modern Caribbean. Osiris, 37, 233–50,Hamraie, A. (2017). Building access: Universal design and the politics of disability. University of Minnesota Press.Hendren, S. (2020). What can a body do?: How we meet the built world. Riverhead Books.Holly Jr, J. (2021). Equitable pre-college engineering education: Teaching with racism in mind. Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER), 11(1), 9.Jesiek, B. K., Buswell, N. T., Mazzurco, A., & Zephirin, T. (2019, July). Toward a typology of the sociotechnical in engineering practice. In Research in Engineering Education Symposium, Cape
the case study project, the participant stated that “… one thing that wasalways coming to mind was the really big gap between resources for people in lower incomecommunities… trying to find ways to like streamline better resources for those communities.”Next, when asked whether they felt as though any of the reflections or lessons learned about theethics and civic responsibility were relevant for them and/society beyond the engineeringcontext, the participant discussed the tension in the realization that although they and otherstudents likely felt comfortable discussing ethics and making responsible engineering decisionsin a hypothetical classroom context, what was less clear was whether they would be able to actin the same ethical and
, that he seeks to temperand correct. Indeed, he precedes his critique by making some concessions to the work of C.Daniel Batson, originator of the “empathy-altruism hypothesis”—a common foundation forresearch on the development of empathy in engineering students. [13] [14]Such research often illuminates the question that animates both Bloom’s work and the responsesto it. Empathy is traditionally understood primarily as a feeling—but models like Batson’sencompass a range of cognitive as well as affective experiences, from “theory of mind” to“empathic distress.” [13] [14] As a result, contested definitions and distinctions create complexlines of disagreement about which types of other-oriented perceptions or sensations count as“empathy” and which
Paper ID #42499Engineering Education in Times of War, Upheaval, and RevolutionProf. Amy E. Slaton, Drexel University Amy E. Slaton is a Professor Emerita of History at Drexel University. She writes on issues of identity in STEM education and labor, and is the author of Race, Rigor and Selectivity in U.S. Engineering: The History of an Occupational Color Line .Prof. Sepehr Vakil, Northwestern University Sepehr Vakil is an assistant professor of Learning Sciences in the School of Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University. Previously he was Assistant Professor of STEM Education and the Associate Director of
implications of his actions lead to disastrous consequences. This has made me more mindful of the importance of responsible engineering practices and the need to consider the broader societal and ethical implications of the technologies I work on.1 The use of anonymized excerpts of student writing for analytical purposes has been approved by the University ofVirginia IRB.2. Accounting for Diverse Perspectives (7)Students underscore the importance of accounting for diverse viewpoints and interdisciplinaryperspectives when approaching engineering challenges. In the selection below, the student writerassociates the variety of disciplines the novel draws on with the multiple perspectives aconscientious engineer must consider when designing
identified their strengths as analytical thinking and timemanagement, but who anticipated challenges in “navigating discussions around sensitive topics”and “understanding complex interdisciplinary concepts.” Students linked their own identities tothese challenges: “white privilege” was cited by multiple students, and one student of colorobserved, “It is a challenge to sit in a class talking about race as an underrepresented person.There are days I will have to take time to process more than speak.”In the pre-class surveys for Gender & STEM, engineering students cited being open-minded andhard-working as strengths. They similarly expressed anxiety about being confronted withdifficult topics: “I think it will be a challenge to see other viewpoints
engineer has become strongly associated with a problem-solving mindset.Faculty members commonly described engineering as problem-solving itself [8], [9]. The designprocess is so permeated into the engineering profession, there are many common jokes thatrevolve around an engineer solving a problem in the “engineering way,” while missing potentiallysimpler, non-technical approaches to solving the same problem [10]. The engineering way ofsolving a problem can best be described by looking into the engineering design process.Engineers tend to have six habits of mind that help describe their way of thinking and that modelthe ideas used in the design process: systems thinking, problem-finding, visualizing, improving,creative problem solving, and adapting
practice. We review a small number of their foundational works here. Riley’schapter on engineering mindsets uses engineering jokes to draw out normative perspectives rooted instereotypes.28 Each joke reveals an underlying assumption about what it means to be a “real” engineer—adoption of a positivist epistemology, acceptance of military authority, elevation of technical certaintyover subjective interpretation, disdain for literacy, and a single-minded focus on technical optimization.She points out that while self-deprecating jokes may lighten the mood, they can also be used to deflectattention from these otherwise serious and consequential commitments, erecting an obstacle to sociallyjust change. Her argument affirms Godfrey and Parker’s finding
designed to create a space for students to try on a criticalmindset about technology in their classes, so they may eventually take that perspective into theirinternships and careers [7,8]. The first feature aims to heal the modern mind/body fracture byhelping students develop a sense of how bodies and emotions contribute to knowledgeproduction and engineering design. The second feature provides students with analyticalapproaches grounded in STS theory (e.g., locating power, interpretive flexibility,democratization of S&T, etc.) to ask questions about their everyday encounters with engineeringeducation and technology. The third feature consists of data collection techniques (e.g.,interviews, participant observation, visual representations, etc
cite a perceivedculture that is inconducive towards relieving their stress. In recent years, mental wellness hasbeen a rising topic on the minds of educators and legislators to learn how to better serve learningcommunities. Programs and initiatives are often offered but underutilized due to perceivedbarriers preventing students from reaching out for additional resources. Lack of accessibility, thefact that conversations about mental wellness are not normalized within the classroom, and thepressure to perform within the classroom are just some of the reasons students cite for not usingcampus resources. This study on a course-based activity aims to promote the discussion ofmental wellness within an engineering course and promote the use of
state standardized tests (i.e., ILEARN, End of Grade,End of Course). We will also measure changes in empathy, ethics, and systems thinking of thestudents with assessments generated to complement the curriculum. References[1] A. Lin and J. L. Hess, "Educating civic-minded engineers: A qualitative study of first- year engineering students," in 2020 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE), 2020: IEEE, pp. 1-5.[2] A. Lin and J. L. Hess, "Developing a framework for civic responsibility in engineering education," in 2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access, 2021.[3] D. Hess and J. Zola, "Professional development as a tool for improving civic education," Making civics
thriving in engineering Level Example(s) of What Thriving Example Indicators of Thriving the Level Means at this Level (Summary) Micro Individual Individual • Motivation [36], [37], [38], [39], [40], Empowerment [41] • Academic performance [42], [43] • Confidence [39], [44], [45] • Mindfulness [46] • Self-awareness [47] • Creativity and innovation [48
, and diverse minds” (Holmes, 2018, p. 140).Learning how to design solutions to real-world problems is one of the cornerstones of anengineering student’s formation. From the industrial to the everyday settings, engineers play aninfluential role in how the tools, objects, and systems we interact with daily are designed. Yet,during their engineering education, quite often students experience a disconnection between thesocio-technical aspects of engineering design and the more technical courses in their curriculum,which can lead students to favor a view of engineering as a neutral discipline and put lessimportance on the human-centered aspects of design (Loweth et al., 2021; Miska et al., 2022). Inturn, when applying their knowledge to create a
professional [1]. With this in mind, the authors embarked on a (re)vision to anexisting multidisciplinary capstone course to develop a truly integrated approach to writing in thedisciplines [1] with the development of sociotechnical engineers in mind.This paper shares how the authors have found opportunities to meet these professional needs byintegrating a faculty member with a Ph.D. in English and background in writing pedagogy andtechnical communication as a member of the instructional team alongside the course’s existingengineering faculty. We will share the modifications made to the course, the rationale for thosechanges, and some of the preliminary data regarding student perception of the development ofboth their collaborative and technical
Paper ID #42974Small Shifts: New Methods for Improving Communication Experiences forWomen in Early Engineering CoursesDr. Jonathan M Adams, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott Jonathan Adams is an assistant professor of rhetoric and composition and the writing program administrator at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, AZ. His research on rhetorical theory, infrastructure, and communication pedagogy informs his teaching of courses in rhetoric, composition, and technical communication in engineering.Ashley Rea, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, PrescottBrian Roth, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical
Paper ID #44325Sociotechnical Integration as Programmatic Foundation in Engineering: CurriculumDesign and ABET Assessment ProtocolsDr. Chelsea Salinas, Colorado School of Mines Chelsea Salinas is a Teaching Professor at the Colorado School of Mines where she focuses on program development in the design engineering space, teaching design thinking strategies, user experience and systems modeling.Dr. Dean Nieusma, Colorado School of Mines Dean Nieusma is Associate Professor and Department Head of Engineering, Design, & Society at Colorado School of Mines. ©American Society for Engineering Education
Paper ID #42171”I’m Not Like a Human Being”: How the Teaming Experiences of AfricanAmerican Females Reveal the Hidden Epistemologies of Engineering CultureKaitlyn Anne Thomas, University of Nevada, Reno Ms. Thomas is a doctoral student at University of Nevada, Reno in Engineering Education. Her background is in structural engineering. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering from Southern Methodist University. Her research focus is in epistemology and epistemic injustice.Dr. Kelly J Cross, Georgia Institute of Technology Dr. Cross is currently an Assistant Professor in the Biomedical Engineering
broadnature of engineering (e.g., [36],[44],[46],[47]). With this in mind, the male students in our studywho took more than one sociotechnical course may have gained a better understanding of thebroader aspects of engineering, helping them to obtain a more holistic view of engineering,which leads to an increase in their sense of belonging in engineering. However, among femalestudents in our study, sense of belonging in engineering was not influenced as much by theirunderstanding of the broad nature of the field. This finding is surprising given that otherresearchers have determined that female students tend to place more importance on the socialand contextual aspects of engineering than their male peers [21]-[23],[50]. Thus, we wouldexpect that as
engineers. In many cases they fell into a trapas freshmen when some evil force behind the curtain told them that they were not creative andcreativity was a strange item practiced by those characters in departments like Theatre andEnglish. Over the years all incoming junior mechanical engineers at Michigan State Universityhave been writing poetry, not to punish them or to drive them to the dark side, but to allow themto widen their perspective on the world in which engineers inhabit with other people who are justas creative as they.Yes, all people have an enormous amount of creativity. It simply takes a gentle push orsometimes a swift kick to open their minds to their creative selves. Writing poetry can be afascinating and creative endeavor that
Grant No.2306178. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendation expressed in this materialare those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National ScienceFoundation.References[1] J. Trevelyan, “Transitioning to engineering practice,” Eur. J. Eng. Educ., vol. 44, no. 6, pp. 821–837, Nov. 2019, doi: 10.1080/03043797.2019.1681631.[2] Z. S. Byrne, J. W. Weston, and K. Cave, “Development of a Scale for Measuring Students’ Attitudes Towards Learning Professional (i.e., Soft) Skills,” Res. Sci. Educ., vol. 50, no. 4, pp. 1417–1433, Aug. 2020, doi: 10.1007/s11165-018-9738-3.[3] R. P. Aleman and et al, “Mind the Gap: Exploring the Exploring the Perceived Gap Between Social and Technical Aspects
Engineering Education, 2024 Design Iterations as Material Culture Artifacts: A Qualitative Methodology for Design Education ResearchAbstractStudying design processes requires the researcher to move with the designer as they negotiate anaction-reflection cycle comprised of a multitude of relationships, including the designer’srelation to themselves, to human and more-than-human others, and to the beliefs, values, andassumptions that design us every day. This paper’s goal is to introduce a qualitative methodologyfor studying the complex relationality of design, particularly (but not exclusively) in anarchitectural design education context. This methodology has theoretical and methodologicalunderpinnings in Process Philosophy and
University. His specializations include qualitative methods, post-secondary transitions, and academic writing.Dr. John Carrell, Texas Tech University John Carrell is Assistant Professor of Engineering at the Texas Tech University Honors College. He received his doctorate in industrial engineering from Texas Tech University and his research focuses on enriching engineering education through the humanities.Michael Scott Laver, Rochester Institute of Technology Michael Laver received his bachelor’s degree from Purdue University, West Lafayette in 1996 in both history and psychology, and his Masters and PhD in East Asian Languages and Civilization from the University of Pennsylvania in 2006. He is currently a professor in the
colonialism can be perpetuatedthrough engineering.To address this gap, I designed course lectures and shared resources that could speak to howpower dynamics and systems of oppression impact engineering design. A critical considerationfor me was the belief that discussions around topics such as race, gender, class, etc. should not berelegated to one week focused on “equity.” I was worried that relegating all equity- and justice-related content to one week would devalue it in the minds of students and perpetuate the idea thatall the other content in the course was neutral or apolitical. My course had two full weeksdedicated especially to gender and colonialism in the course. In addition, most of the other weeksincluded concepts, ideas, and examples
event a success. Many havecontinued to create additional opportunities for education, public dialogue, and impact in their respectiveenvironments. Considering these indications that the program was a success, this study’s research objectives aremeant to draw from that collective experience and provide insight for engineering educators designing similar skill-sharing events between engineers and students and professionals from other disciplines, especially those stemmingfrom a specific need to take a multi-sectoral approach. With that in mind, this study of that program, as well asreflections on this interdisciplinary collaboration and measures of the program’s impacts, was a valuable opportunityto examine our research questions and derive
we have toreach people on a deeper intellectual, emotional, and moral level. . . A candid sharing ofperspectives on race—grounded in facts. . .leads to greater awareness and action” (p. xviii).Throughout The Conversation, Livingston offers research findings and imaginative analogies thatare relevant to the discourse on diversity in engineering. In a similar vein, Jonathan Haidt in TheRighteous Mind: Why Good People Divided by Politics and Religion (2013) presents a socialintuitionist model of persuasion that explicates the underlying processes by which socialinteraction “sometimes leads people to change their minds” (p. 55). Together with rhetoricaltheory, social psychology provides us with available resources for persuasion that could be
Paper ID #42788Investigating Student Experiences of Inclusion and Exclusion to Guide MakerspaceDevelopmentDr. Aubrey Wigner, Colorado School of Mines Aubrey Wigner is an assistant professor at the Colorado School of Mines where he teaches engineering design, entrepreneurship, and systems design.Dr. Dean Nieusma, Colorado School of Mines Dean Nieusma is Associate Professor and Division Director of Engineering, Design, & Society at Colorado School of Mines.Catherine Chase Corry, Colorado School of MinesJulianne Stevens, Colorado School of Mines ©American Society for Engineering Education