Wijesinghe, P., & Buckland Parker, H. A. (2023, June), The Impact of Short Mindfulness Practices on Student Attention and Focus in Upper-Level Civil Engineering Design Class  Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--44463

\bibitem{asee_peer_44463}
  Wijesinghe, P., \& Buckland Parker, H. A. (2023, June), \emph{The Impact of Short Mindfulness Practices on Student Attention and Focus in Upper-Level Civil Engineering Design Class}
  Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland.
  10.18260/1-2--44463

Priyantha Wijesinghe and Holly Ann Buckland Parker.  "The Impact of Short Mindfulness Practices on Student Attention and Focus in Upper-Level Civil Engineering Design Class".  2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland, 2023, June.  ASEE Conferences, 2023.  https://peer.asee.org/44463 Internet.  27 Jun, 2024

\bibitem{asee_peer_44463}
  Priyantha Wijesinghe and Holly Ann Buckland Parker.
  "The Impact of Short Mindfulness Practices on Student Attention and Focus in Upper-Level Civil Engineering Design Class".
  \emph{2023 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland, 2023, June}.
  ASEE Conferences, 2023.
  https://peer.asee.org/44463 Internet.  27 Jun, 2024

@INPROCEEDINGS{asee_peer_44463
author = "Priyantha Wijesinghe and Holly Ann Buckland Parker"
title = "The Impact of Short Mindfulness Practices on Student Attention and Focus in Upper-Level Civil Engineering Design Class"
booktitle = "2023 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition"
year = "2023"
month = "June"
address = "Baltimore , Maryland"
publisher = "ASEE Conferences"
note = {https://peer.asee.org/44463}
number = {10.18260/1-2--44463}
}

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - This work-in-progress research study investigates the impact of short mindfulness practices on student attention, focus, and problem-solving skills in an upper-level civil engineering design course. Even though numerous studies have shown a positive correlation between mindfulness activities and student focus and attention, intervention studies focused on specific student groups in engineering still need to be included.  
Twenty-two students in the upper-level structural steel design class were selected for this study. They were first introduced to mindfulness activities by the same instructor in their junior-level structural analysis course.   
Students were offered 5-7 minute mindfulness practices at the beginning of each fifty-minute class period, two to three times per week throughout the semester. These practices include mindful breathing, awareness, observation, listening, and meditations like lovingkindness and gratitude. Once a week, students were exposed to other contemplative learning activities aimed at developing a deeper awareness of self and others. These activities, labeled as 'Nuggets of Wisdom,' include reflective writing, deep listening, insight mediations, and mindful conversations.  
Qualitative and quantitative data is gathered through several means, such as weekly surveys, student focus group interviews, direct observations by the instructor, and participants' scores in follow-up assignments and their overall semester performance. In addition to a demographic survey, weekly surveys and reflections focusing on their class performance after the mindfulness activity are utilized. The latter includes a Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory, one of the best-established and widely used questionnaires for self-assessment of mindfulness.  
By analyzing the data, we hope to find connections between mindfulness and student performance in solving design problems and their overall focus and attention inside and outside class. Furthermore, we plan to extend the study to a few upper-level design courses in Civil Engineering.
AU  - Priyantha Wijesinghe
AU  - Holly Ann Buckland Parker
CY  - Baltimore , Maryland
DA  - 2023/06/25
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - The Impact of Short Mindfulness Practices on Student Attention and Focus in Upper-Level Civil Engineering Design Class
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/44463
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--44463
ER  -