Conference Session

Mechanics Division (MECHS) Technical Session 3

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mikayla R Hoyle, University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign; Melany Denise Opolz, University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign; Jean-Christophe Raymond-Bertrand, University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign; Nikhil Chandra Admal, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; Wayne L Chang, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; Thomas Golecki, University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign; Kellie M Halloran, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; Callan Luetkemeyer, University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign; Brian Mercer, University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign; Matthew West, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; Mariana Kersh, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics Division (MECHS)

. ©American Society for Engineering Education, 2025 Making space for curiosity, connection, and creating value by integrating real-world examples into engineering educationAbstractTeaching methods that emphasize theory without including practical applications can maketransitioning to industry challenging for students and employers. Research and designengineering has moved to smaller, entrepreneurial companies where engineers may take onbusiness roles, and the transition to such roles is enabled by developing an entrepreneurialmindset. The entrepreneurial mindset is a framework, focusing on the social and societalcomponents of entrepreneurship, to stimulate curiosity, build connections, and create value (3Cs)for students. We

Conference Session

Mechanics Division (MECHS) Technical Session 7B

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jean-Christophe Raymond-Bertrand, University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign; Mikayla R Hoyle, University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign; Melany Denise Opolz, University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign; Nikhil Chandra Admal, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; Wayne L Chang, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; Thomas Golecki, University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign; Kellie M Halloran, University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign; Callan Luetkemeyer, University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign; Brian Mercer, University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign; Matthew West, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; Mariana Kersh, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics Division (MECHS)

break free from theconstraints of traditional, costly commercial textbooks. The financial impact of commercialtextbooks often causes students undue stress [1]. Beyond cost-saving, OER allow instructors totailor content to their courses, rather than the course adapting to the textbook. This creates a moredynamic and relevant learning environment, with no negative impact on learning outcomes[2].The Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network (KEEN) recognizes the need for engineeringstudents to develop skills desirable by employers beyond the analytical capabilities taught in astandard engineering curriculum, such as communication and interdisciplinary thinking. TheEntrepreneurial Mindset (EM) emphasizes the importance of these skills through the

Conference Session

Mechanics Division (MECHS) Technical Session 7A

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Timothy A Wood, The Citadel; Heath Kaufman, The Citadel

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics Division (MECHS)

teaching techniques. The use of the beam model engages even the weakestengineering students in curious investigation, the construction of strong mental models, andfluency in the analytical methods used by all engineers.References[1] J. M. Gregory, D. Wilson, and L. Stephenson, The Seven Laws of Teaching: Foreword by Douglas Wilson & Evaluation Tools by Dr. Larry Stephenson, First Edition. Canon Press, 2014.[2] R. C. Hibbeler, Engineering Mechanics: Statics, 14 edition. Hoboken: Pearson, 2015.[3] “Entrepreneurial Mindset | Engineering Unleashed.” Accessed: Feb. 13, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://engineeringunleashed.com/mindset[4] T. L. Nilsson, “Five-minute Demo: Developing an Intuitive Understanding of Support

Conference Session

Mechanics Division (MECHS) Technical Session 3

Collection

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Thomas Golecki, University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign; Mikayla R Hoyle, University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign; Melany Denise Opolz, University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign; Jean-Christophe Raymond-Bertrand, University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign; Nikhil Chandra Admal, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; Wayne L Chang, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; Kellie M Halloran, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; Callan Luetkemeyer, University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign; Brian Mercer, University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign; Matthew West, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; Mariana Kersh, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics Division (MECHS)

-sectioncourse, where each lecture section consists of approximately 200 students in various engineeringmajors, with 50-minute lectures on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. One section receivedtraditional instruction, while the other section spent a portion of class time (10-15 minutes) eachFriday discussing real-world applications of the course content. The sections were surveyed at thebeginning and end of the semester to assess their impressions of (1) their curiosity about thematerial, (2) the connections to real-world applications and (3) the value created by the coursecontent. These three themes were selected around the “3C’s” of the Kern EntrepreneurialEngineering Network (KEEN) entrepreneurial mindset (Curiosity, Connection, Creating Value).The