Evidence-based Opportunities for the Development of Empathy in Engineering through Community-based Learning
- Conference
- Location
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Minneapolis, MN
- Publication Date
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August 23, 2022
- Start Date
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June 26, 2022
- End Date
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June 29, 2022
- Conference Session
- Page Count
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6
- DOI
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10.18260/1-2--42082
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/42082
- Download Count
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329
Paper Authors
David Delaine
Linjue Wang The Ohio State University
Linjue (Jade) Wang is currently a Ph.D. candidate and graduate research associate in the Department of Engineering Education at The Ohio State University. She has been a leader within the Inclusive Community Based Learning (iCBL) Lab for four years and upon graduation is pursuing a variety of faculty roles where she can perform engaged scholarship. She received her B.E. in Built Environment & Equipment Engineering from Tsinghua University, China. Linjue has participated in various service-learning experiences both in China and in the U.S., supporting these efforts as a volunteer, workshop facilitator, and curriculum designer. Her research interests include empathy and community-based learning, with a current focus on empowering educators to teach empathy to engineering students. Beyond that, she is interested in changing the culture of engineering and improving the engineering education experiences for international students in U.S. institutions.
Joachim Walther University of Georgia
Nia Johnson The Ohio State University
Abstract
Community-Based Learning (CBL) in engineering has the potential to promote engineering students to engage with empathy while supporting sustainable outcomes in community partners. Empathy is a critical skill for engineering students to center their CBL work around the community, yet it remains unknown how students engage with empathy in CBL. In this study, we use quantitative and qualitative approaches to explore how student engagement with empathy in diverse CBL contexts. Our findings indicate that CBL is a promising platform to teach and practice empathy in engineering. First, students obtained gains of empathy growth before and after CBL participation. Second, students can engage with empathy through three categories of opportunities: structural, social, and interpretative. Further, students’ empathy engagement can be enhanced by integrating empathy instructions in CBL, including teaching empathy skills, embracing self’s feelings, and centering others in CBL work. The outcomes of this study can support CBL instructors in engineering and other disciplines who consider making empathy an explicit learning outcome in CBL contexts.
Delaine, D., & Wang, L., & Walther, J., & Johnson, N. (2022, August), Evidence-based Opportunities for the Development of Empathy in Engineering through Community-based Learning Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. 10.18260/1-2--42082
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