Promoting Human-Centered Mindsets and Practices in STEM: Insights from a Capstone Course on 3D Printing Prosthetic Devices
- 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
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DEED Technical Session 10: Empathy and Human-centered Design
- Page Count
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16
- DOI
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10.18260/1-2--40796
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/40796
- Download Count
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387
Paper Authors
Johanna Okerlund University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Dr. Okerlund is a Human-Computer Interaction researcher, Human-Computer Interaction instructor, and a makerspace manager. She studies makerspaces as they relate to themes of equity and justice, both in terms of who they are accessible to and the impact they have beyond their walls. She has taught formal HCI and design studio courses and facilitated informal making activities.
David Wilson University of North Carolina at Charlotte
David Wilson is a Professor in the Department of Software and Information Systems at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Dr. Wilson's research centers around the development of intelligent, human-centered software systems and tangible computing to bridge the gaps between human information needs and the computing resources available to meet them. It involves the coordination of human-centered design and intelligent systems techniques with geographic, multimedia, database, internet, and communications systems in order to elicit, enhance, apply, present, and interact with relevant task-based knowledge and artifacts.
Celine Latulipe University of Manitoba
Dr. Latulipe is a Professor of Human-Computer Interaction in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Manitoba. Her research interests span computer science education, diversity and inclusion, digital creativity support, and aging and technology.
Abstract
In STEM education there can often be a greater emphasis on technical aspects of design and development in comparison to potential social impacts. Yet, it is becoming increasingly urgent to approach design with a socio-technical perspective. Updating STEM education to integrate deep consideration of social factors with technical content, however, remains a significant challenge. This paper presents an approach to capstone course design that explores how Human-Centered Design (HCD) mindsets and practices can be foregrounded in a heavily technology-centric learning experience. We developed a capstone course for undergraduate STEM students that foregrounds human-centered mindsets in a technical project focused on 3D printing prosthetic devices for a participant with a limb difference.
We analyzed data collected from the course to shed light on specific challenges in foregrounding a deep human-centered perspective in technical STEM courses, and we provide guidance for educators who also seek a similar reorientation. Our analysis consisted of a thematic coding on written deliverables and instructor observations from the course, using a set of HCD-aligned values and a set of tech-centric values as codes. Our findings suggest that understanding how to de-center one’s own goals and center the goals of a participant are reasonable learning objectives for students, that educators should create space for students to articulate and unpack prior expectations, that starting with technical aspects before considering social aspects in learning can make it harder to adopt an HCD-aligned approach, and educators should give repeated opportunities for engagement with HCD topics since the material takes time to digest.
Okerlund, J., & Wilson, D., & Latulipe, C. (2022, August), Promoting Human-Centered Mindsets and Practices in STEM: Insights from a Capstone Course on 3D Printing Prosthetic Devices Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. 10.18260/1-2--40796
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