AC 2012-4670: EXPLORING THE ROLE OF EMPATHY IN ENGINEER-ING COMMUNICATION THROUGH A TRANSDISCIPLINARY DIALOGUEDr. Joachim Walther, University of Georgia Joachim Walther is an Assistant Professor of engineering education research at the University of Georgia (UGA). He is Co-director of the Collaborative Lounge for Understanding Society and Technology through Educational Research (CLUSTER), an interdisciplinary research group with members from engineering, art, educational psychology, and social work. His research interests span the formation of students’ pro- fessional identity, the role of reflection in engineering learning, and interpretive research methods in en- gineering education. He was the first international
understanding of global and societal contexts in orderto solve some of the grand challenges facing humanity. This task is made no less difficult by thenecessity of multidisciplinary teams, diverse stakeholders, and innovative communicationmethods in an increasingly complex world. This vision for a modern engineer is reflected in the2004 and 2005 National Academies publications of “The Engineer of 2020” [1] and “Educatingthe Engineer of 2020” [2]. For historical context, Figure 1 showcases the call for action assummarized in the Grinter Report of 1955 [3] to the call of action as summarized in the Engineerof 2020 reports of 2004 and 2005. Ultimately, all of these reports (starting in 1955) urged for amore well-rounded engineer. The Engineer of 2020
sciences (e.g., Critical Reflective Writing; Teaching and Learning in Undergraduate Science and Engineering, etc.) All of these activities share a common goal of creat- ing curricular and pedagogical structures as well as academic cultures that facilitate students’ interests, motivation, and desire to persist in engineering. Through this work, outreach, and involvement in the com- munity, Dr. Zastavker continues to focus on the issues of women and minorities in science/engineering.Eleanor Berke, Boston Public Schools Berke is interested in the ways that role play may cause the body to shift the mind building, empathy and perspective. She has used acting as a tool to cultivate empathy for the immigrant experience, to improve
life. The goals of product archaeology provide a strong foundation on which to developa classroom and project in which students can think critically both within and about engineering.MethodsWe used qualitative methods to explore how first year students’ perceptions of engineeringchanged during the course of a summer bridge program. When we desire to intimatelyunderstand a complex issue, such as changes in students’ perceptions of engineering, qualitativeapproaches serve as a particularly useful research strategy (Creswell, 2009). In order to betterunderstand the ways in which critical pedagogies can influence students’ perceptions of what itmeans to be an engineer, participants reflected on what it meant to be an engineer and how
Paper ID #30323Teaching Ethical Photography to deepen Global Engineering CompetencyDr. Robert S Emmett, Virginia Tech Dr. Emmett serves as Assistant Director for Global Engagement in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech. He is the author of Cultivating Environmental Justice: A Literary History of US Garden Writing (University of Massachusetts Press, 2016) and with David E. Nye, Environmental Humanities: A Critical Introduction (MIT Press, 2017). With Gregg Mitman and Marco Armiero, he edited the collection of critical reflections and works of art, Future Remains: A Cabinet of Curiosities for the Anthropocene (Uni
Lounge for Understanding Society and Technology through Educational Research (CLUSTER), an interdisciplinary research group with members from engineering, art, and educational psychology. His research interests span the formation of students’ professional identity, the role of reflection in engi- neering learning, and interpretive research methods in engineering education. He was the first international recipient of the ASEE Educational Research Methods Division’s ”Appren- tice Faculty Award”, was selected as a 2010 Frontiers in Education ”New Faculty Fellow”, and is currently a UGA ”Lilly Teaching Fellow”. His teaching focuses on innovative approaches to introducing systems thinking and creativity into the en
interests include interdisciplinary collaboration, design education, communication studies, identity theory and reflective practice. Projects supported by the National Science Foundation include exploring disciplines as cultures, interdisciplinary pedagogy for pervasive computing design; writing across the curriculum in Statics courses; as well as a CAREER award to explore the use of e-portfolios to promote professional identity and reflective practice. c American Society for Engineering Education, 2016 Student Persistence Through Uncertainty Toward Successful Creative PracticeAbstract: To increase creative practice among students in engineering and other
reflect upon and assess diversity and inclusion efforts within ECE [2].To interrogate students’ perceptions of diversity and inclusion, we interviewed 13 current or pastundergraduate ECE students. With nearly 40 percent of the undergraduate ECE studentsidentifying as international students, such a significant international population posestremendous learning opportunities as well as challenges related to diversity and inclusion. Thus,formal efforts within ECE have been made to bridge cultural differences, develop interculturalcompetencies, and promote inclusion of internationally and domestically diverse ECE members.However, these efforts have met with mixed results. Our analysis of the interview data suggeststhat these efforts often were not
choices they will make upon graduation.We present a brief introduction to the literature on vocation and reflection in higher education,discuss our approach to teaching this material in our first-year User-Centered Design course, andexamine the impact of the activity on students through preliminary analysis of survey data. Wefind that students value discussion of these topics, but more work needs to be done to connect theconcepts of vocation and engineering.IntroductionWe have seen students on our campus operate with a split identity: they are engineers-in-trainingon campus, but may think of themselves as musicians, surfers, or political activists outside of theclassroom. The disconnect between engineering curricula and personal experiences can
measures of academicperformance [19]. These courses have also been linked to decreases in dysfunctional careerthoughts [20], [21], [22] and psychological distress [23].As stated, there is scant research available on classes where career development supports havebeen integrated into existing program curricula. The information that does exist is primarilyanecdotal, with practitioners using mainly informal career supports and sharing their experiencesand observations at conferences (e.g. [4]), in articles focusing on their experiences (e.g. [5]), orreporting data that are generally gleaned from students’ self-reports via course evaluations. Forexample, when employability skills language and reflections were integrated into classrooms atMemorial
Society for Engineering Education, 2014 What’s in the Soup? Reflections from an Engineer, a Physicist, and an English Professor on an Interdisciplinary Summer Grand Challenge ProgramIntroduction to the Summer Grand Challenge ProgramThree professors with common interests and goals piloted in Summer 2013 a program focused onsolving one of the fourteen Grand Challenges of the 21st Century identified by the NationalAcademy of Engineering (NAE).1 These challenges range from providing energy from fusion toengineering better medicines. The summer program was centered on making solar power cheaperand locally manufacturable in a less developed region. The program purposefully broughttogether humanities, science
. Centralto the module was providing definitions of virtue and of teamwork as a virtue and implementingstrategies from an empirically-grounded framework to develop students as virtuous teamworkers. Drawing from Lamb et al. (2021), strategies included “(1) habituation through practice,(2) reflection on personal experience, (3) engagement with virtuous exemplars, (4) dialogue toincrease virtue literacy, (5) awareness of situational variables, (6) moral reminders, and (7)friendships of mutual accountability.”Teamwork-relevant outcomes were assessed using two approaches: self-report and peer-assessment. Students reported perceived embodiment of fifteen teamwork attributes forthemselves and for each of their teammates pre- and post-Project 2. The most
Society of Professional Engineers. American c Society for Engineering Education, 2021 Engagement in Practice: Project-Based Community Engagement Model Preliminary Case StudiesAbstractEngineering engagement is typically project-based, which introduces elements andconsiderations not explicitly covered by models commonly used in service-learning andcommunity-engaged learning. A model specifically for project-based community engagementwas recently developed to facilitate reflection on program design, development, and analysis.Two cases are examined using this model as test examples of how it can be operationalizedacross diverse programs. The application
tostudents in the College of Engineering and students enrolled in the Science, Technology, andSociety (STS) minors program in the College of Liberal Arts. Through interactive classexercises, multidisciplinary topic readings, case study examinations, and personal reflections,students will conduct detailed exploration into ethics, sustainability, and problem-solvingprocesses. The overarching objectives for this class are to equip students to identify, analyze, andaddress problems at the intersection of engineering, technology, and personal and societal valuesystems. Students will be challenged to develop and utilize problem-solving approaches fromacross disciplines in the context of both technological and social challenges, using the SDGs as
Disney, reacting to 3Greenpeace’s video on NewBees[11], exploring the Kinetic Art movement[12], or exploring atheme from Frankenstein. To aid the students in the process of exploring a literary piece for design ideas, two mainadditions were added to the requirements for the project. The first was a structured way tointeract with the book that allowed students to document passages that could be used forinspiration in the design process, to convert these to a visual representation of a concept, and toverbally portray the connection between the design and the passage. These “reflection”assignments were accomplished through a type of two column notes. The second was to providea list of technical objectives for the robot. This allowed the
of the collaboration. The authors aimed to demonstrate to thecampus that there were educational benefits to increasing the number of these types of courses.The Experiential-Learning, Crossover Activity The authors developed a series of common assignments used in both courses that woulddemonstrate these common themes from both the nanotechnology and science fictionperspectives. The crossover activity involved interdisciplinary, interactive, and collaborativelearning. Faculty knew from students’ written reflections on the crossover activity, that it had animpact on their experience. Although the faculty saw anecdotal evidence of its value, it wasunknown if the crossover activity improved student mastery of course outcomes. The
Page 24.729.2of instructors’ written feedback and students’ written reflections on electrical engineeringstudents’ speaking skills. Four design courses—sophomore, junior, and two senior designclasses—provided the project’s framework. The research involved assessing the presentations ofa select group of project students and an equal number of control group students, beginning withthe sophomore design class and continuing through the two senior design courses.The project students received feedback via an analytic rubric. The benefits of using rubrics areshown in Conrad et al 7. The Project students viewed their videotaped presentations and wrote areflective paper on their performances. The control group did not receive feedback, althoughtheir
discourse identity. Although the rationale for developing engineering judgment inundergraduate students is the complexity they will face in professional practice, engineeringeducators often considerably reduce the complexity of the problems students face. Student workintended to train engineering judgment often prescribes goals and objectives, and demands a one-time decision, product, or solution that faculty or instructors evaluate. The evaluation processmight not contain formal methods for foregrounding feedback from experience or reflecting onhow the problem or decision emerges; thus, the loop from decision to upstream cognitiveprocesses might not be closed. Consequently, in this paper, our exploration of engineeringjudgment is guided by the
evidence-based conceptsand practices, the activities were designed to be directly relevant to the course material, designedto enrich, not simply amend, course content. All efforts were based upon a conceptualframework for teamwork knowledge, skills and functionality that moves the knowledge ofteamwork into the practice of teamwork. The aim is for students to develop sustained practices incommunication, inclusion, self-reflection, conflict management and team norming. Here wereport progress of our efforts in the senior year, including discussion of assessment data, and endwith a brief view towards the longer-range goal of stretching the teaming instruction across thefour-year programs.Keywords: Teamwork, Engineering, Evidence-based
acceptance of liberal arts or active learning concepts in relation to this community.Complementary to this analysis is reflective qualitative remarks from the student body in theform of individual comments submitted after course completion. Through analysis of results therefinement of the programming in this unique first year interdisciplinary program can be furtherdata driven and hopefully lead to improved understanding of the intricacies of combined liberalarts – active learning – engineering environments.IntroductionEducation as a genre can be self-defined with a pedagogical dimension that is forever in searchof further understanding. This ever-present shifting of perspective on variety and applicability ofeducation styles has afforded an
example Page 22.332.2of the latter is the Atlantis Programme where the European Union and the United Statesof America have been co-operating in higher education and vocational training since1995. Although these initiatives are admirable, in general engineering educators need todo more to address this problem, but American faculty especially need to make strides.Statement of PurposeDewey’s theories about the importance of cultivating reflective practice (1993) have hadenormous influence on classroom teaching strategies and methods. Walkington, et al(2001) argue that developing reflective practices is just as important to teachers as it is tostudents
justice in the United States (750-1250 words). ENGR 195A Reflection Paper 2: In his essay, Dyson gives some historical examples of technological innovations that he claims have increased social justice. Considering the technological innovations in your discipline, please describe another example and indicate how it has increased social justice in the U.S. (250- 500 words) Aerospace Engr 171A – Reflection Paper 3 (250-500 words): Consider the technological innovations in aerospace engineering in general and aircraft design in particular, describe a historical example and indicate how it has increased social justice in the U.S. and the world. Aerospace Engr 172A – Reflection Paper 3 (250-500 words
, critical thinking and reflection, identity development,and embracing many ways of knowing and being. Learning experiences provided scaffolding forstudents to identify and prioritize the impacts they hope to make in the world; explore paths formaking these impacts possible; and begin to share these experiences, values, and ambitions withvarious audiences. The course asked students to engage with questions such as: As individualsand engineers, how should we pose ethical questions and prepare to advocate for the values thatwe hold dear? How might we start to understand and react to larger global problems, causes,challenges, and opportunities that surround us? Who am I and what is my place in the world?The course was a new, experimental
lasting over several semesters,toward completion in a student’s senior year.The reflective component of the portfolio shows how well students have integrated liberalarts disciplines in their personal formation as an engineer, especially where addressingprofessional skills such as teamwork, communication, ethical judgment, and identifyingsocietal context. Well-defined portfolio-documented aspects of project work alsoprovide evidence suitable for educational assessment. The set of portfolio requirementspresented here, which overall serves as a grand rubric in itself, facilitates individualstudent grading on diverse project applications over several semesters. A more specificrubric developed for each portfolio category addresses one aspect of the
historical context using a variety of instructional modes and pedagogicalinnovations.This paper presents the experience of developing and teaching MMW for the first time in 2020 inthe midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. MMW was designed and co-taught by an interdisciplinaryfaculty teaching team from the departments of history, theology, and environmental science. As adesignated “Complex Problems” course, a type of first-year interdisciplinary Core course, MMWoffered 70 students the opportunity to satisfy BC’s Core requirements in Natural Science andHistory through three linked pedagogical components: lectures, labs, and reflection sessions. Ourgoal was to integrate engineering, the history of science and technology studies, and ethical andmoral modes of
considerations in our core courses. I reflect on lessons learned from twoassignments in two different core courses, each implemented in the larger context of engineeringat a liberal arts college. Here introducing a social justice dimension of sustainability was a smallpart of a larger effort to integrate liberal education into core courses.One module introduced students in a first year Mass and Energy Balances course to the tool ofLife Cycle Assessment (LCA) for developing and analyzing green products and processes, whilesimultaneously offering a critique of green consumerism which was incorporated into studentLCA projects. A key learning outcome was that students understood not only the promises of thetool but also its limitations and when it is and is
ability to identify and use appropriate technical literature” [4].Program GoalsWhatever form it took, an enhanced technical writing program would have to meet these goals: • Support ABET’s instruction to produce students proficient in technical communication skills • Respond to employer requests for freshman co-op students more versed in business and technical writing tasks • Teach students a portable set of writing and presentation skills • Help students develop a process approach to writing that includes audience, purpose, context, research, and format considerations • Encourage students to develop a self-reflective approach to writing projects with the goal of becoming more proficient writersEmbedded Technical
Principles of SustainableEngineering for application in civil and environmental engineering (CEE) courses, and wasrecently updated through systematic literature review to reflect a broader set of evaluationcriteria. The rubric’s constructs of sustainable design and their measures are being validated inthree phases consistent with the Benson model of construct validity.This paper will focus on efforts to iteratively validate the new rubric’s content by benchmarkingthe criteria against well-established sustainable development and design frameworks, includingthe UN Sustainable Development Goals, STAUNCH© (Sustainability Tool for Auditing forUniversity Curricula in Higher-Education), and the Envision™ Infrastructure Rating System.These three frameworks
Paper ID #16055Fostering Empathy in an Undergraduate Mechanical Engineering CourseDr. Joachim Walther, University of Georgia Dr. Joachim Walther is an associate professor of engineering education research at the University of Georgia (UGA). He is a director of the Collaborative Lounge for Understanding Society and Technol- ogy through Educational Research (CLUSTER), an interdisciplinary research group with members from engineering, art, educational psychology and social work. His research interests range from the role of em- pathy in engineering students’ professional formation, the role of reflection in engineering
, 2016). We use themetaphor of the soul to narrate our experiences in the field, a majority of which includeexperiences we shared being in the same engineering education PhD program. The metaphor ofthe soul serves as a vehicle to communicate our experiences, conceptions, hopes, fears, andaspirations. The soul is as much an idea felt, as it is a scholarship known through inquiry. Weexperienced this essence as it moved across individuals in our department, and believe it is feltfurther in the engineering education community. The soul fuels continuous evolution by creatingtension and using it as energy to find purpose in our work.IntentionOur intention is to share our experiences and prompt reflection from the engineering educationcommunity so that