Post-Pandemic Pedagogical Pivots: Mental Health, AI, and Zoom Zombification in Engineering Education

Susan F Freeman

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Conference: 15th Annual First-Year Engineering Experience Conference (FYEE)
Location: Boston, Massachusetts
Publication Date: July 28, 2024
Start Date: July 28, 2024
End Date: July 30, 2024
Page Count: 3
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--48631
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/48631
Download Count: 33

Paper Authors

biography

Susan F Freeman Northeastern University

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Susan Freeman, is a member of Northeastern University’s First-Year Engineering team, a group of teaching faculty expressly devoted to the first-year engineering students and development of courses and curriculum to serve the program at Northeastern University. The focus of this team is on providing a consistent, comprehensive, and constructive educational experience that endorses the student-centered, professional and practice-oriented mission of Northeastern University. Susan has been part of ASEE and the First-year Programs Division for many years, serving in all leadership roles. She is also on the leadership team for the College of Engineering as Associate Dean Undergraduate Education.

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Abstract

This is designed as a workshop. There are a number of co-authors.

Introduction: We survived teaching during a pandemic and all the challenges that it brought. We pivoted so many times, we were dizzy. When we got back into our classrooms, we embraced some great things that the pandemic brought, new technologies, new platforms, some new approaches. So, what is going on? We are facing students and faculty with increasing mental health challenges. We realize that in many ways we need our approaches, classrooms, and words to be more inclusive. There is an increasing encroachment of generative AI and suddenly the internet seems less friendly. How students learn or try to acquire information and knowledge may not equip them to be good engineers. Students seem to prefer a more passive style of learning, from recordings or on Zoom, but are they engaged and retaining this knowledge. Does any of this resonate with you? So, what to do? - What changed? - How to be an inclusive teacher? - What am I missing about student’s identities? - What about my neurodiverse students? - Are my students using AI or ChatGPT? - What do I change to deal with generative AI?

Our first-year students were 9th graders in Spring 2020. These are post-pandemic students, they seem different – how do I engage them?

- They are not coming to class, not interested in things, what do I do? Is it me? - What tools should we be using? - Courses and conferences – ISTP, Neurodiverse conference, ASEE workshops - Books – new ones

We need to learn about using AI - Change courses - more projects? New ideas and approaches? - What about the students? - Have they changed? - How do we reach them? - What works for them? What doesn’t?

There are a lot of questions. This workshop aims to bring information from faculty that have participated in the Inclusive STEM Teaching Project, and other resources about changes being made in first year classes. There is also data on student use of AI and trying out new approaches, what is working and what is not. This workshop will discuss connecting with students in different ways. Are there ways to assess students' mental health? Discussingnew models and methods of teaching and assessing student learning that help move us in a new direction.

One part of this workshop will present some lessons learned on Inclusive design for teaching and inclusive teaching practices. Then participants will spend time working on what practical things they can adopt or adapt for their classrooms.

The next section will be on approaches for adapting to generative AI. What are recommended practices? Looking at ways to adapt our teaching to embrace and work around the problems of things like ChatGPT. What can be adaptations for classroom practice?

Another section approaches the fact that the mental health of our students is a concern. There are tests for assessing student mental health, for example from the University of Miami - Mental health screening. Just giving them resources may not be enough, what more can, or should we be doing? What do the experts that teach courses on Well-being say?

Lastly, how do we engage this Zoom group? Project-based courses bring in much active learning. Are there more active learning approaches we need to use? Refreshing and refurbishing our active and engaged learning toolboxes, what works now? What has always worked. Are they unmotivated? The MUSIC model for motivation may provide some insights MUSIC model.

This will be an interactive workshop. One outcome is that participants will discover that some parts of what they are doing is on target for student learning already. In all areas of exploration, the workshop is intended to provide participants with practical approaches, food for thought, and reassurance that we are all on a new path towards teaching and learning. Selected References

1. Fitzpatrick, E., & Deters, J. (2023, June), Board 190: Work in Progress: A Pilot Study on Faculty Perceptions of the Impact of COVID-19 on Undergraduate Engineering Student Readiness Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2—42573 https://peer.asee.org/42573

2. Fitzpatrick, E., Baldwin, H., Adams, I., Chin, M. Y., & Deters, J. R. (2023, Sept. 10 – 12). What universities should know about minoritized undergraduate engineering students’ mental health. Proceedings of the American Society for Engineering Education Midwest Section Conference, Lincoln, NE.

3. Danowitz, A., & Beddoes, K. (2023, June), Board 338: Mental Health in Engineering Education Before, During, and After COVID-19 Related Disruptions Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2—42952 https://peer.asee.org/42952

4. Sheppard, M., & Marsh, A., & Benson, L. (2022, August), Work In Progress: Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic on Engineering Students’ Sense of Belonging and Learning Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. 10.18260/1-2—41035 https://peer.asee.org/41035

Citation
Format

Freeman, S. F. (2024, July), Post-Pandemic Pedagogical Pivots: Mental Health, AI, and Zoom Zombification in Engineering Education Paper presented at 15th Annual First-Year Engineering Experience Conference (FYEE), Boston, Massachusetts. 10.18260/1-2--48631

TY - CPAPER
AB - This is designed as a workshop. There are a number of co-authors.

Introduction: We survived teaching during a pandemic and all the challenges that it brought. We pivoted so many times, we were dizzy. When we got back into our classrooms, we embraced some great things that the pandemic brought, new technologies, new platforms, some new approaches. So, what is going on? We are facing students and faculty with increasing mental health challenges. We realize that in many ways we need our approaches, classrooms, and words to be more inclusive. There is an increasing encroachment of generative AI and suddenly the internet seems less friendly. How students learn or try to acquire information and knowledge may not equip them to be good engineers. Students seem to prefer a more passive style of learning, from recordings or on Zoom, but are they engaged and retaining this knowledge. Does any of this resonate with you? So, what to do?
- What changed?
- How to be an inclusive teacher?
- What am I missing about student’s identities?
- What about my neurodiverse students?
- Are my students using AI or ChatGPT?
- What do I change to deal with generative AI?

Our first-year students were 9th graders in Spring 2020. These are post-pandemic students, they seem different – how do I engage them?

- They are not coming to class, not interested in things, what do I do? Is it me?
- What tools should we be using?
- Courses and conferences – ISTP, Neurodiverse conference, ASEE workshops
- Books – new ones

We need to learn about using AI
- Change courses - more projects? New ideas and approaches?
- What about the students?
- Have they changed?
- How do we reach them?
- What works for them? What doesn’t?

There are a lot of questions. This workshop aims to bring information from faculty that have participated in the Inclusive STEM Teaching Project, and other resources about changes being made in first year classes. There is also data on student use of AI and trying out new approaches, what is working and what is not. This workshop will discuss connecting with students in different ways. Are there ways to assess students&#39; mental health? Discussingnew models and methods of teaching and assessing student learning that help move us in a new direction.

One part of this workshop will present some lessons learned on Inclusive design for teaching and inclusive teaching practices. Then participants will spend time working on what practical things they can adopt or adapt for their classrooms.

The next section will be on approaches for adapting to generative AI. What are recommended practices? Looking at ways to adapt our teaching to embrace and work around the problems of things like ChatGPT. What can be adaptations for classroom practice?

Another section approaches the fact that the mental health of our students is a concern. There are tests for assessing student mental health, for example from the University of Miami - Mental health screening. Just giving them resources may not be enough, what more can, or should we be doing? What do the experts that teach courses on Well-being say?

Lastly, how do we engage this Zoom group? Project-based courses bring in much active learning. Are there more active learning approaches we need to use? Refreshing and refurbishing our active and engaged learning toolboxes, what works now? What has always worked. Are they unmotivated? The MUSIC model for motivation may provide some insights MUSIC model.

This will be an interactive workshop. One outcome is that participants will discover that some parts of what they are doing is on target for student learning already. In all areas of exploration, the workshop is intended to provide participants with practical approaches, food for thought, and reassurance that we are all on a new path towards teaching and learning.
Selected References

1. Fitzpatrick, E., &amp;amp; Deters, J. (2023, June), Board 190: Work in Progress: A Pilot Study on Faculty Perceptions of the Impact of COVID-19 on Undergraduate Engineering Student Readiness Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference &amp;amp; Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2—42573 https://peer.asee.org/42573

2. Fitzpatrick, E., Baldwin, H., Adams, I., Chin, M. Y., &amp;amp; Deters, J. R. (2023, Sept. 10 – 12). What universities should know about minoritized undergraduate engineering students’ mental health. Proceedings of the American Society for Engineering Education Midwest Section Conference, Lincoln, NE.

3. Danowitz, A., &amp;amp; Beddoes, K. (2023, June), Board 338: Mental Health in Engineering Education Before, During, and After COVID-19 Related Disruptions Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference &amp;amp; Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2—42952 https://peer.asee.org/42952

4. Sheppard, M., &amp;amp; Marsh, A., &amp;amp; Benson, L. (2022, August), Work In Progress: Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic on Engineering Students’ Sense of Belonging and Learning Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference &amp;amp; Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. 10.18260/1-2—41035 https://peer.asee.org/41035
AU - Susan F Freeman
CY - Boston, Massachusetts
DA - 2024/07/28
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Post-Pandemic Pedagogical Pivots: Mental Health, AI, and Zoom Zombification in Engineering Education
UR - https://peer.asee.org/48631
DO - 10.18260/1-2--48631
ER -