Visualizing and Modeling a Growth Mindset in an STEM design course

Sarah Rajkumari Jayasekaran; Idalis Villanueva Alarcón; Jeremy A. Magruder Waisome

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Conference: 2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Publication Date: June 22, 2025
Start Date: June 22, 2025
End Date: August 15, 2025
Conference Session: Self-Efficacy & Mindset
Tagged Division: Civil Engineering Division (CIVIL)
Tagged Topic: Diversity
Page Count: 17
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--57332
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/57332
Download Count: 6

Paper Authors

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Sarah Rajkumari Jayasekaran University of Florida

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Sarah Jayasekaran is an Instructional Assistant Professor at the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering. Her work focuses on integrating smart technology to enhance engineering education and student engagement. She serves as Director-at-Large for ASEE-WIED and is actively involved in mentoring and student success initiatives. Her research centers on designing and evaluating educational tools that drive meaningful learning outcomes.

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Idalis Villanueva Alarcón University of Florida orcid.org/0000-0002-8767-2576

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Dr. Idalis Villanueva Alarcón is Chair and tenured Associate Professor in the Department of Engineering Education in the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering. A PECASE awardee, she has led multiple pioneering efforts in engineering education including multimodal methods in engineering education using sensor technologies and biophysiological tools, hidden curriculum, mentoring, active learning, professional identity, among others. She is a renowned national and international leader in engineering education earning her multiple accolades and honors through professional organizations such as the National Academy of Engineering, IEEE, and ASEE. She integrates her multiple experiences as a Chemical Engineering, Biological Engineer, Analytical Cell Biologist, and Engineering Education Researcher to tackle complex engineering education problems across the learner life span.

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Jeremy A. Magruder Waisome University of Florida orcid.org/0000-0002-8710-2637

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Dr. Jeremy A. Magruder Waisome is an Assistant Professor in the Engineering Education Department at the University of Florida (UF). Her research focuses on self-efficacy and critical mentoring. She is passionate about broadening participation in engineering, leveraging evidence-based approaches to improve the engineering education environment.

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Abstract

This WIP study hopes to assess Dweck's growth mindset framework for junior and senior engineering students, predominantly from civil, industrial, environmental & other engineering majors. The course, Technical Drawing, and Visualization is aimed to teach 2D and 3D visualization skills and computer-aided design (CAD) for the first time (i.e., AutoCAD 2025). A growth mindset is the ability to believe in developing skills or evolving in skills that we may not be initially good at, but we hope to get better at through practice, critical thinking, and problem-solving. The growth mindset was examined within this student population and course due to the vital importance of spatial and visualization skills, which are essential competencies in this curriculum. Recognizing that students enter the course with varying proficiency levels in these areas, it is crucial for all students to engage actively and purposefully in developing these skills. Mastery of spatial and visualization abilities is necessary for aspiring engineers, particularly for effective design work and problem-solving in their future careers. Forty-nine students participated in the study in Fall 2024. They were asked to complete an adapted Growth Mindset Survey (Norwegian University of Science and Technology) at the middle and end of the semester. The survey includes Questions that gauge students' beliefs in their ability to tackle challenges, their willingness to try new approaches, their confidence in their skills, their commitment to investing time in skill development. Using descriptive statistics, we will explore the relationship between students' beliefs and their actual performance in the course. We plan to use Spearman correlation to assess the strength and direction of the relationship between the mindset score (Likert scale) and student performance. The plan is to expand the study to include courses taught by other faculty members, develop a more comprehensive understanding of our students, and create tailored learning experiences that enhance their confidence, engagement, and academic success. The study will include some recommendations for similar courses in engineering.

Citation
Format

Jayasekaran, S. R., & Villanueva Alarcón, I., & Waisome, J. A. M. (2025, June), Visualizing and Modeling a Growth Mindset in an STEM design course Paper presented at 2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition , Montreal, Quebec, Canada . 10.18260/1-2--57332

TY - CPAPER
AB - This WIP study hopes to assess Dweck&#39;s growth mindset framework for junior and senior engineering students, predominantly from civil, industrial, environmental &amp;amp; other engineering majors. The course, Technical Drawing, and Visualization is aimed to teach 2D and 3D visualization skills and computer-aided design (CAD) for the first time (i.e., AutoCAD 2025).
A growth mindset is the ability to believe in developing skills or evolving in skills that we may not be initially good at, but we hope to get better at through practice, critical thinking, and problem-solving. The growth mindset was examined within this student population and course due to the vital importance of spatial and visualization skills, which are essential competencies in this curriculum. Recognizing that students enter the course with varying proficiency levels in these areas, it is crucial for all students to engage actively and purposefully in developing these skills. Mastery of spatial and visualization abilities is necessary for aspiring engineers, particularly for effective design work and problem-solving in their future careers.
Forty-nine students participated in the study in Fall 2024. They were asked to complete an adapted Growth Mindset Survey (Norwegian University of Science and Technology) at the middle and end of the semester.
The survey includes Questions that gauge students&#39; beliefs in their ability to tackle challenges, their willingness to try new approaches, their confidence in their skills, their commitment to investing time in skill development.
Using descriptive statistics, we will explore the relationship between students&#39; beliefs and their actual performance in the course. We plan to use Spearman correlation to assess the strength and direction of the relationship between the mindset score (Likert scale) and student performance.
The plan is to expand the study to include courses taught by other faculty members, develop a more comprehensive understanding of our students, and create tailored learning experiences that enhance their confidence, engagement, and academic success. The study will include some recommendations for similar courses in engineering.

AU - Sarah Rajkumari Jayasekaran
AU - Idalis Villanueva Alarcón
AU - Jeremy A. Magruder Waisome
CY - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
DA - 2025/06/22
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Visualizing and Modeling a Growth Mindset in an STEM design course
UR - https://peer.asee.org/57332
DO - 10.18260/1-2--57332
ER -