to communicate technical concepts to a non-technical audience.7. Teamwork and Collaboration: Ability to collaborate effectively with team members, evidenceof leadership or active contribution to team efforts, and communication and conflict resolutionwithin the team.8. Ethical and Societal Impact: Consideration of ethical implications of the design or solution;assessment of environmental, societal, or economic impacts; and compliance with relevantregulations or standards9. Reflection and Self-Assessment: Ability to reflect on the project and its outcomes.Identification of personal strengths and areas for improvement, lessons learned, and futuredirections for the project or design.Each Capstone Design class will include several project
contextualizedtechnical communication in a material science lab course can help address many of the gapsnoted above, including improving understanding of sociotechnical contexts, considering ethicaldilemmas, and designing for sustainable futures. The communication deliverable most often required in lab courses is, of course, the labreport. Certainly, there is value in asking students to practice, even master, this particular genre.Much can be learned in writing lab reports, including important ideas about genre, convention,and rationales that inform these constraints. But the audience for these documents is not typicallydiverse or multifaceted. At the same time, as a genre, the lab report does not often invite studentsto be reflective or reflexive about
module was developed to illustrate the functioning of a digital twin systemand was applied to two key courses: Smart Manufacturing and the Internet of Things (IoT). Bothcourses are offered to students in their senior years. To assess the impact of this teaching moduleand the effectiveness of the pedagogy applied, a questionnaire-based survey (Appendix A) wasconducted, focusing on the implementation of feminist pedagogy principles in the classroom.Feminist pedagogy, as discussed by various scholars, promotes values such as knowledge co-creation, empowerment, and reflection, which were identified as the primary tenets guiding ofthis study [20] . Feminist pedagogy has significant implications for engineering education, as itchallenges the
learner that arepart of the “hidden curriculum” of a traditional four-year college course. These skills – reading textbooks,notetaking, and reflecting on homework – are often explicitly taught in the freshmen classroom for four-year students, so transfer students miss out on this exposure. Here, we present initial findings from thefirst year of using the Good Old-Fashioned Student Framework at two-year Trident Technical College inan “Introduction to Engineering” course. The Framework was originally implemented at four-yearcollege, The Citadel, and has been applied in a wide range of engineering courses. Initial data indicatesstudents who engage with the Framework’s assignments perform better on summative assessments, withpotentially a greater
Paper ID #46119Where Empathy is Needed in Engineering FormationSteven B. Warth, Austin Peay State University An undergraduate researcher, working towards building a more empathetic and sustainable engineering society. Currently pursuing a bachelors degree in engineering physics.Bobette Bouton Dr. Bobette Bouton is an associate professor at Austin Peay State University. Her current area of research is socio-emotional development in the domain of empathy. She is a Deweyan Pragmatist who focuses on student-centered teaching and reflection. She also is working toward making higher education a more socially just and safe
knowledge and attitudes. Results indicated significant improvements in students'understanding of renewable energy, waste reduction, and sustainable living practices, alongside increasedinterest and motivation in environmental learning [16].An investigation examined the use of mobile VR for environmental education among 64 secondary schoolstudents in the UK. During a geography field trip, students used the Google Expeditions VR app toexplore 360-degree virtual environments, comparing their local nature reserve to the Borneo rainforest.The immersive VR experience enhanced students’ understanding of large-scale environmental changescaused by deforestation and urban development. Post-field trip reflections and letters to a conservationsociety
newcompetencies as they are socialized into their domains of expertise, EER students navigate adeparture from or a reframing of many of the skills and competencies--the academic literacies--they developed as engineering undergraduates. Arguably, the most pronounced differencesacross academic literacies in EER and the engineering technical domains are their differences in“meaning making...and what counts as knowledge” [7, p. 369], which are often brought intofocus most clearly in writing and reading contexts. For example, Kwan et al. [13] demonstrateclear differences across the “epistemological frameworks” of literature reviews grounded indesign sciences (engineering-adjacent) versus in the behavioral sciences (EER-adjacent),reflected in how each paper
self-reports about student experiencewith the modules referred to herein as self-reflection questions.4.1 Instrument DevelopmentEach of the question sets employed was developed by the project team. The process fordevelopment of the queries included on the instruments was collaborative. The basis for the skillstests and self-assessments was the course instructional objectives. The skills tests, one for eachcourse, were developed as multiple-choice instruments with four possible responses for eachquestion. The initial question sets were devised by the faculty in the discipline with revisions madebased on comments and suggestions from the other faculty working on the project and the researchconsultant. The initial set of self-assessment queries
holistically and have learned to hold both the individual parts and their relationships tothe whole system in mind simultaneously. However, it can be frustrating for those who strugglewith the complexity and ambiguity of systems thinking.In preparing the engineers of the future, we are also preparing future leaders. Doing so demandsthat we consider which skills and mindsets these future leaders will need; it also requires that weassess whether the methods we are using to prepare them reflect the ways they will be expectedto enact leadership roles. In other words, how might faculty model the leadership students will beasked to enact in their careers? Faculty have a unique opportunity to demonstrate to futureleaders how they might operate within the
have a voice in their learning through reflection and feedback, coaching canalso provide internal and psychological safety. Combined, these factors are associated withincreased confidence in teaching, which results in higher levels of instructional performance.Despite its demonstrated benefits, coaching remains less understood and underutilized comparedto other individualized professional development practices, particularly in its application to thespecific needs of faculty members and the promotion and tenure process in higher education .For the purposes of this paper, coaching as professional development for faculty refers to apersonalized approach where a designated coach works closely with the individual facultymember to identify and
the coursestructure. Partnering with the Institute of Process Excellence (IpX), concepts, processes andtechnology have been structured reflect those used by some of the top engineering companieswithin industry. The CM2 standard provides the framework for the software tools and processesutilized in the course which reinforce concepts, assignments, and projects. The course leveragesSiemens Teamcenter as the repository for all student work leveraging a modified CM2 closedloop change process for all student submissions providing students with invaluable experience inan enterprise PDM system. Siemens NX and Autodesk Fusion 360 are used within theestablished framework to teach product design practices and demonstrate CAD interoperabilitybetween CAD
codes.These codes can be further classified into eight “analyzer” codes, eight “collapsed”categories, or a “novel” grouping aimed at differentiating learning activities. By structuringclassroom interactions in this manner, COPUS enables researchers to systematically analyzeinstructional practices and student engagement patterns. While observational approachesoffer valuable insights into real-time classroom dynamics, they differ from studies thatprimarily rely on faculty self-reports.The research methodologies represented in the reviewed studies included quantitative (n=10),qualitative (n=15), and mixed-methods (n=17) approaches (Table 2), reflecting diversestrategies to investigate active learning in STEM education. Quantitative methods
know that I have learned a lot of interpersonal skills by having toor existing skills skills from a specific influential communicate a lot with the team for the project. My advisors are very busy, so I experience have to schedule meetings and reach out." - MackenzieOpportunity Recognizing the benefits of- and "Medicine is a whole other world, unless you're exposed to it you have no idea. Ifrecognition capitalizing on- a specific opportunity in I didn't do the study abroad program, and I didn't do the REU program, I would one’s life have no idea." - MarkerSelf-reflection How one feels about their
physiology knowledge is applied in solving biomedical problems and how researchers have addressed disparities in their work.5. Complete the discussion questions assignment for that system. This assignment includes questions that force students to dig a little deeper and use external sources of information to find answers. As part of the healthcare disparities structured curriculum, two questions were added to this assignment for each system: a. Socially contextualize a decontextualized biomedical problem related to this system b. Reflect on the social justice issues that arise in biomedical design within this organ system. What are some of the ways biomedical engineers have addressed these issues in their designs?In addition
just to be recognized as a scientist, but to become the kind of scientist that reflected their values. This may perhaps explain the higher tendency for women and racial minorities to consider non-engineering pathways after college. It also supports the notion that in order to retain more women andracial minorities “in the pipeline”, we may need to consider how to widen the field to recognizeengineering occupational pathways that are compatible with a broader range of gender and racialidentities.Personas: Learning to Count Past Two In an effort to expand the variety of recognized engineering identities and pathways, our researchteam has created a set of “personas” for use in our department. Social scientists have noted a
analysisproject, concluding with survey results that reflect the program’s contribution to student development andinterdisciplinary learning. 1. Introduction and BackgroundUndergraduate research has become an essential component of higher education, offering studentsopportunities to apply classroom knowledge to real-world problems while developing critical thinking,technical skills, and professional competencies. At Fairfield University, the URSR program exemplifiesthis approach by providing a structured, immersive research experience. Now in its third year, theprogram continues to grow in scope and impact, fostering collaboration between students and facultywhile tackling a wide array of challenges.Undergraduate research (UR) has been consistently
?Literature Review Humanization in learning environments has been a key component in philosophizing andengaging efforts to address the increasingly consumer-based, banking model of education [6],[7], [8], [9], [10]. Several key components define humanizing pedagogy from various scholars,with the key publication by Freire [6] describing the need for a pedagogy for the humankind thatmust be created, developed, and formed by those experiencing differential treatments by thesystems and structures. Freire also called for cultivating consciousness on such systems andstructures through reflections. However, various scholars have argued that it is difficult toincorporate humanizing pedagogy ideals into practice in the classrooms. del Carmen Salazar
these gaps, this study applies a modified Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT)framework [11], [12], emphasizing on four primary constructs: self-efficacy (i.e., beliefsin one's ability to successfully complete specific tasks), outcome expectations (i.e., beliefs aboutthe consequences of performing tasks required for success), vocational interests, and careerchoice goals. Self-efficacy plays a crucial role in motivating individuals to engage with andpersist in pursuits related to their careers [13]. Vocational interests reflect the patterns of likes,dislikes, and preferences toward specific career domains, while career choice goals pertain toindividuals' aspirations and intentions to pursue specific career paths [13]. SCCT provides
engineeringsoftware. Only some groups calculated the volume of a hollow canoe. Calculations did notnecessarily reflect the highest level of math preparation by one member of the team. Somecomplex solutions were performed by students enrolled in Trigonometry and by those in LinearAlgebra, while some simple solutions were performed by students in Pre-Calculus. All teamswere able to produce a final calculation for the size of their canoe. These findings indicate thatcivil and construction engineering and construction management students, even with their variedmath backgrounds, can come up with creative approaches to solve ill-structured problems basedon their existing preparedness
studentsformulated cohesive solutions that integrated multiple ROS2 packages. By the time they reachedthis final assignment, most learners had developed a solid framework of fundamentalcompetencies that could be extended to their final, open-ended projects.Rationale for Key ChangesFrom the outset, the lab sequence was devised with progressive complexity in mind, graduallylayering new tools and concepts to reduce cognitive overload. This scaffolded approach helpedstudents steadily build confidence, ensuring each new skill—such as command-line proficiency orROS2 control—was reinforced before introducing more demanding tasks. Additionally, hands-onintegration with simulated environments and (for some students) real hardware reflected howrobotics is typically
. Wepresent a view of CR as a set of structured flows of feedback among researchers and betweenresearchers and others in and beyond academic institutions. In contrast to recent scholarship on CR, we propose a framework of CR that considers theemergence of systems from such feedback flows—not vice versa. Some of these flows stabilizethe process of CR inquiry, while others destabilize. The stabilizing feedback flow is crucial toproducing actual impact in the world—a research output needs some kind of stability to beproduced. The destabilizing feedback flow offers questions to reflect on the framing of theresearch problem. In doing so, it opens up a space to think outside of conventional boundaries ofdisciplinary science. These two types of flows
complexity of threshold concepts, and effective teachinginterventions.V. Results & AnalysisThe analysis of the structural design and engineering concepts highlighted seven key themes(or concepts) that defined the challenges and learning areas for students. Each theme reflects acritical aspect of structural design that influenced how students approached and understood theconcepts.Forces and Structural AnalysisOne of the foundational concepts in structural engineering is analyzing forces and momentswithin a structure. This involves using free-body diagrams to isolate individual componentsand visualize the forces acting on them. While students generally grasp external reaction forcesdue to their more straightforward nature, understanding internal
themes in human experience as reflected in thehumanities and social sciences. Over time, that broad conception evolved into the narrowlyconceived, vaguely defined, negatively perceived but widely accepted concept of technicalwriting, typically outsourced from engineering to teachers in Departments of English who were“poorly trained to teach it and textbooks struggling to fill in the gaps” (Kynell, p. 88).The negative consequences of this reductive approach emerge in the historical narrative offeredby Adams in A History of Professional Writing Instruction in American Colleges (1996). Herassessment is that courses in “technical and business writing, offered through journalism andEnglish departments. . . .were not viewed as preparation for an
, the campengaged students in a range of hands-on activities focused on building decarbonization,renewable energy technologies, and robotics. Participants, primarily from Title I schools, wereintroduced to clean energy concepts through a combination of lectures, lab sessions, andinteractive projects. The camp’s curriculum emphasized practical applications, including the useof solar panels, robotic assembly, and strategies for energy efficiency in buildings. Pre- and post-surveys, along with qualitative data from instructor observations and student reflections capturedthrough word clouds, were analyzed to assess shifts in student interest, understanding, and careeraspirations in the fields of renewable energy and STEM more broadly. Preliminary
echolocationbehavior of a bat. High school and undergraduate students are involved in the entire design,fabrication and flight process. The UAS will navigate an urban environment using only ultrasonicspeakers and microphones, a more cost-effective alternative to the expensive cameras typicallyused in UASs. The vehicle features a 3D-printed bat head, modularly attached, containing anultrasonic speaker in the mouth and two microphones in the ears to capture reflections from thesound waves emitted. As part of the design, casings for the electronic speed controllers (ESCs),which regulate the motor speeds, as well as the bat head, are designed and fabricated.Throughout the development process, several challenges are encountered. Minimizing dead weightand drag
. Wechose to not rely on an ethical framework for reference, because we have found thatmany students have interpreted ethical frameworks in absolute terms.The exercise began with a briefing about the differences between ethics and morals, withexamples of typical moral themes, followed by individual reflection about what thestudents knew about themselves. The participants were then assigned to ad-hoc teams inorder to compare their moral priorities to those of other team members. Finally, eachteam formed a set of moral priorities for their own hypothetical engineering company.In order to assess the outcomes of this activity, we sought to answer the followingquestion: How did this exercise bring out multiple competing moral standpoints and
modify the base values for voltage and current to a new set ofvalues. If the per-unit system is implemented correctly, changing the base values shouldautomatically update all the per-unit quantities while leaving the physical quantities unchanged.This consistency demonstrates the utility and flexibility of the per-unit system in power systemsanalysis. Students are encouraged to experiment with different base values and reflect on theresults, discussing any patterns or observations that arise from changing the base quantities.3.2 Python Exercise 2: Transmission Line Bundling and Power Factor CorrectionIn this exercise, students develop a Python program to analyze the impact of conductor bundlingon a power system. The line data provided includes
for Undergraduates at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. His research interests include engineering identity, reflective learning, and innovative teaching practices. ©American Society for Engineering Education, 2025Exploring Integrated Peer and Reverse Mentoring in Engineering Education:A Work in Progress.AbstractThis Work-in-Progress (WIP) paper examines the introduction of integrated peer and reversementoring for first-year engineering students at a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). In thismentoring program, near-peer mentors—upperclassmen with relevant academic knowledge of thecourse—met weekly with mentees to provide guidance, share experiences, and address academicchallenges. These near-peer
re-contextualize engineering science engineering courses to better reflect and prepare students for the reality of ill-defined, sociotechnical engineering practice. Current projects include studying and designing classroom interventions around macroethical issues in aerospace engineering and the productive beginnings of engineering judgment as students create and use mathematical models. Aaron holds a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Michigan and a Ph.D. in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Prior to re-joining Michigan, he was an instructor in Aerospace Engineering Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder. ©American Society for
, is within expected ranges, indicating that the increase indifficulty is gradual. It is reasonable to assume that students will naturally have a slightly hardertime with later chapters. Thus, this finding further confirms the observation that later chapters aremore challenging to students without suggesting any unreasonable difficulty.Student behaviorStudents were categorized into six distinct behavioral groups based on their interactions withCAs: Once-and-done, Refiners, Grade motivated, Earnest learners, Earnest strugglers, andLowly motivated. These categories, defined in section Methods and Metrics, reflect variations ofengagement and performance. Data collected across all languages show very similar distributionsof these behavioral groups