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A Literature Review to Explore a Relationship: Empathy and Mindfulness in Design Education

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Conference

2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Baltimore , Maryland

Publication Date

June 25, 2023

Start Date

June 25, 2023

End Date

June 28, 2023

Conference Session

Reviewing Emergent Topics and Theory in Engineering Education

Tagged Division

Educational Research and Methods Division (ERM)

Tagged Topic

Diversity

Page Count

16

DOI

10.18260/1-2--42414

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/42414

Download Count

316

Paper Authors

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Rubaina Khan University of Toronto

biography

Adetoun Yeaman Wake Forest University Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0001-7063-9836

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Adetoun Yeaman is an engineering education postdoctoral fellow and part-time assistant teaching professor in the department of engineering at Wake Forest University. She holds a PhD in Engineering Education from Virginia Tech where the studied the role of empathy in the experiences of undergraduate engineering students in service learning programs. She has a masters degree in Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering and a bachelors in Biomedical Engineering. Her research interests include empathy, design education, ethics and character education and community engagement.

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biography

Diana Bairaktarova Virginia Tech

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Dr. Diana Bairaktarova is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Engineering Education at Virginia Tech. Through real-world engineering applications, Dr. Bairaktarova’s experiential learning research spans from engineering to psychology to learning

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Abstract

Learning to design in undergraduate engineering is a higher-order mentality that entails creative, conceptual, and methodological capabilities. One of the core principles of design thinking is its focus on human values at every stage of the process, including empathy for the eventual recipients or users of the tangible outcomes of the designs. Learning to be empathetic has a wide range of benefits, such as supporting effective teamwork and communication; supporting ethical decision-making; and informing the design process. The existing literature provides not enough guidance on how to foster empathy in undergraduate engineering programs, despite the recognized benefits. However, a growing body of research on the benefits of mindfulness has begun to show its potential as an intervention strategy to improve empathy in design. In this theory/method paper, we present an extended review that explores the relationship between how empathy may be supported through mindfulness practice.

Based on the content of the studies, we organized publications in terms of the research focus. While some reported on the relationship between empathy and mindfulness practice, other publications focused on specific effects on individuals. These specific effects clustered around three major groups important to design education: (1) transition between analytical and affective mindsets (2) subjective understanding of the profession by focusing the mind on how we conceptualize engineering expectations, and (3) increased behaviors to support sustainability mindsets. Through our extended literature review on these topics, we suggest that promoting mindfulness practice in engineering design courses, workplaces and elsewhere encourages whole-bodied processes in professional decision-making and empathetic designs.

Keywords: empathy, mindfulness, engineering design

Khan, R., & Yeaman, A., & Bairaktarova, D. (2023, June), A Literature Review to Explore a Relationship: Empathy and Mindfulness in Design Education Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--42414

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