Board 203: A Research Study on Assessing Empathic Formation in Engineering Design
- Conference
- Location
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Baltimore , Maryland
- Publication Date
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June 25, 2023
- Start Date
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June 25, 2023
- End Date
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June 28, 2023
- Conference Session
- Tagged Topic
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NSF Grantees Poster Session
- Page Count
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9
- DOI
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10.18260/1-2--42609
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/42609
- Download Count
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151
Paper Authors
Justin L. Hess
Purdue University, West Lafayette
orcid.org/0000-0002-1210-9535
Dr. Justin L Hess is an assistant professor in the School of Engineering Education at Purdue University. Dr. Hess’s research focuses on empathic and ethical formation in engineering education. He received his PhD from Purdue University’s School of Engineering Education, as well as a Master of Science and Bachelor of Science from Purdue University’s School of Civil Engineering. He is the editorial board chair for the Online Ethics Center, deputy director for research for the National Institute of Engineering Ethics, and past-division chair for the ASEE Liberal Education/Engineering and Society division.
Nicholas D. Fila Iowa State University of Science and Technology
Nicholas D. Fila is a research assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Iowa State University. He earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and a M.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign and a Ph.D. in Engineering Education from Purdue University. His research interests include empathy, innovation, design thinking, course design, and engineering ethics.
Corey T. Schimpf
University of Buffalo, SUNY
orcid.org/0000-0003-2706-3282
Corey Schimpf is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Engineering Education at the University at Buffalo, SUNY.
His lab focuses on engineering design, advancing research methods, and technology innovations to support learning in
complex domains. Major research strands include: (1) analyzing how expertise develops in engineering design across the
continuum from novice pre-college students to practicing engineers, (2) advancing engineering design research by
integrating new theoretical or analytical frameworks (e.g., from data science or complexity science) and (3) conducting
design-based research to develop scaffolding tools for supporting the learning of complex skills like design. He is the
Division Chair Elect for the Design in Engineering Education Division for the 2023 ASEE conference
Allison Godwin
Purdue University, West Lafayette
orcid.org/0000-0002-0741-3356
Allison Godwin, Ph.D. is an associate professor in the Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Cornell University. She is also the Engineering Workforce Development Director for CISTAR, the Center for Innovative and Strategic Transformation of Alkane Resources, a National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center. Her research focuses on how identity, among other affective factors, influences diverse students to choose engineering and persist in engineering. She also studies how different experiences within the practice and culture of engineering foster or hinder belonging and identity development. Dr. Godwin graduated from Clemson University with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and Ph.D. in Engineering and Science Education. Her research earned her a National Science Foundation CAREER Award focused on characterizing latent diversity, which includes diverse attitudes, mindsets, and approaches to learning to understand engineering students’ identity development. She has won several awards for her research including the 2021 Journal of Civil Engineering Education Best Technical Paper, the 2021 Chemical Engineering Education William H. Corcoran Award, and the 2022 American Educational Research Association Education in the Professions (Division I) 2021-2022 Outstanding Research Publication Award.
Elizabeth A. Sanders Purdue University, West Lafayette
Elizabeth A. Sanders is a Ph.D. Candidate in the School of Engineering Education at Purdue University. She holds a B.S. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 2018) and an M.A. in Higher Education (University of Michigan, 2020).
Abstract
Design is a prominent aspect of engineering education and developing empathy in engineering graduates through design is becoming an essential part of engineering education. However, we need a robust way to measure empathic development in engineering. The primary objective of this study is to provide the engineering design community with a contextually valid instrument for measuring empathy in undergraduate engineering design contexts. We aims to address three primary objectives, which include: (1) To expand and modify a pilot instrument for assessing empathy in engineering design via co-creation with a diverse group of engineering design instructors and student interviews; (2) To test and validate an instrument for assessing empathic formation in engineering design via a multi-methods research design which includes formative feedback from design educators, a pilot student sample, and a large student sample that includes multiple university sites and disciplines; and (3) To identify changes in empathy types across engineering design when applying the instrument in multiple disciplinary design contexts and by accounting for how instructional design contexts and practices influence empathic formation. At the time of this writing, this project is concluding Year 1, but emergent findings have supported the need for a contextually valid assessment in engineering design. Moreover, this project has started fostering community among a small group of design instructors. Upon completion of this work, this project will generate an instructional tool for assessing empathy in engineering design, new knowledge on best practices for promoting empathic formation in engineering design, and community among design instructors across the nation who are interested in empathy in engineering design.
Hess, J. L., & Fila, N. D., & Schimpf, C. T., & Godwin, A., & Sanders, E. A. (2023, June), Board 203: A Research Study on Assessing Empathic Formation in Engineering Design Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--42609
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