Work in Progress: Project-Based Service Learning Shapes the Morals of First-Year Engineering Students

Fayekah Assanah; Kristina Wagstrom; Daniel D. Burkey; Marina Creed

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Conference: 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Baltimore , Maryland
Publication Date: June 25, 2023
Start Date: June 25, 2023
End Date: June 28, 2023
Conference Session: First-Year Programs Division (FYP) - WIPS 4: Projects
Tagged Division: First-Year Programs Division (FYP)
Page Count: 11
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--44332
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/44332
Download Count: 187

Paper Authors

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Fayekah Assanah University of Connecticut

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Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut, 260 Glenbrook Road, Unit 3247, Storrs, CT 06269-3247.

Dr. Assanah is the team lead for ENGR 1166: Foundations of Engineering, a core course for all first-year engineering students at the University of Connecticut consisting of over 400 students. She has developed and implemented project-based lessons to build Corsi-Rosenthal boxes for all first-year engineering students through this initiative.
Dr. Assanah's research focuses on the synthesis of hydrogels to mimic the mechanical behavior of the brain matter and investigate the cellular response to injury. My past research focused on biomaterials and tissue engineering with a particular emphasis in bone tissue regeneration. This involved combining hydrogel-based cell therapy and acoustic radiation forces via Low Intensity Pulsed Ultrasound (LIPUS), for healing large scale bone defects. Previous research also involved hydrogels as three-dimensional cultures to study the effects of mechanical forces on axons for repairing spinal cord injury.

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Kristina Wagstrom

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Dr. Kristina Wagstrom is the Northeast Utilities Assistant Professor for Environmental Engineering Education in the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, CT. She specializes in applying chemical engineering pri

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Daniel D. Burkey University of Connecticut

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Daniel Burkey is the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programs and Professor-in-Residence in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Connecticut. He received his B.S. in chemical engineering from Lehigh University in 19

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Marina Creed

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Abstract

Project-Based Service Learning (PBSL) has recently become an essential pedagogical tool in engineering education. Through a PBSL experience, students enhance their learning and build a meaningful connection with the community by contributing their engineering skills and knowledge to impact a socio-cultural problem. These PBSL experiences are student-based, specifically designed to align with the course objectives and connect with the community’s needs. Therefore, there are profound effects of PBSLs that benefit all students (inclusive of background and cultural groups), foster creative and critical thinking, promote engagement and teamwork, and implement engineering solutions to real-world problems.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the world in all respects and continues to pose unprecedented challenges to public health and the economy. This virus primarily spreads through respiratory aerosols from infected individuals. Improved indoor air filtration processes and proper ventilation of public spaces are some of the mitigation strategies to prevent the transmission of this virus. Unfortunately, these strategies are challenging and expensive for many public schools across the United States due to older infrastructure, leading to a need for simple, effective indoor air filtration systems to improve air quality and prevent student sickness.

The University of Connecticut conducted a PBSL experience where approximately 400 first-year engineering students designed and built Corsi-Rosenthal (C-R) boxes (DIY Air Purifiers) that trap 56-91 % of respiratory aerosols and improve indoor air quality. The C-R boxes were built for a nominal cost of $60 per box, using a 20” box fan, four 20”x20”x2” MERV-13 filters, the box from the fan, and duct tape. The project was carried out by small groups (3-4 students) working in the First-Year Design Laboratory over four weeks. At the end of the project, the C-R boxes were distributed to the local elementary schools.

During the pandemic, these first-year engineering students had completed their final year in high school remotely, under lockdown. Thus, this C-R box project had a meaningful and personal impact since students could relate to their experiences during the pandemic and were motivated to build the DIY filtration system to positively impact the lives of school-going children. In addition to building the C-R boxes, students also plot graphs to show the effectiveness of the boxes in removing particle number concentration. They measured the noise levels and vibration for different fan speeds of these box filters to ensure the fans were not too loud during teaching sessions. Each week students submitted engineering logs of their building process. Students were also asked to reflect upon their design and testing methods and develop efficient design improvements. Students also highlighted their learning experiences through this project in their Engineering Portfolios at the end of the course. This activity provides insight into how PBSLs shape first-year engineering students' identities, morals, attitudes, and learning experiences. These efforts prove how such a meaningful project may promote student motivation and understanding on multiple cognitive levels.

Citation
Format

Assanah, F., & Wagstrom, K., & Burkey, D. D., & Creed, M. (2023, June), Work in Progress: Project-Based Service Learning Shapes the Morals of First-Year Engineering Students Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--44332

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - Project-Based Service Learning (PBSL) has recently become an essential pedagogical tool in engineering education. Through a PBSL experience, students enhance their learning and build a meaningful connection with the community by contributing their engineering skills and knowledge to impact a socio-cultural problem. These PBSL experiences are student-based, specifically designed to align with the course objectives and connect with the community’s needs. Therefore, there are profound effects of PBSLs that benefit all students (inclusive of background and cultural groups), foster creative and critical thinking, promote engagement and teamwork, and implement engineering solutions to real-world problems.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the world in all respects and continues to pose unprecedented challenges to public health and the economy. This virus primarily spreads through respiratory aerosols from infected individuals.  Improved indoor air filtration processes and proper ventilation of public spaces are some of the mitigation strategies to prevent the transmission of this virus. Unfortunately, these strategies are challenging and expensive for many public schools across the United States due to older infrastructure, leading to a need for simple, effective indoor air filtration systems to improve air quality and prevent student sickness.

The University of Connecticut conducted a PBSL experience where approximately 400 first-year engineering students designed and built Corsi-Rosenthal (C-R) boxes (DIY Air Purifiers) that trap 56-91 % of respiratory aerosols and improve indoor air quality. The C-R boxes were built for a nominal cost of $60 per box, using a 20” box fan, four 20”x20”x2” MERV-13 filters, the box from the fan, and duct tape. The project was carried out by small groups (3-4 students) working in the First-Year Design Laboratory over four weeks. At the end of the project, the C-R boxes were distributed to the local elementary schools.

During the pandemic, these first-year engineering students had completed their final year in high school remotely, under lockdown. Thus, this C-R box project had a meaningful and personal impact since students could relate to their experiences during the pandemic and were motivated to build the DIY filtration system to positively impact the lives of school-going children. In addition to building the C-R boxes, students also plot graphs to show the effectiveness of the boxes in removing particle number concentration. They measured the noise levels and vibration for different fan speeds of these box filters to ensure the fans were not too loud during teaching sessions. Each week students submitted engineering logs of their building process. Students were also asked to reflect upon their design and testing methods and develop efficient design improvements.  Students also highlighted their learning experiences through this project in their Engineering Portfolios at the end of the course.
This activity provides insight into how PBSLs shape first-year engineering students&#39; identities, morals, attitudes, and learning experiences. These efforts prove how such a meaningful project may promote student motivation and understanding on multiple cognitive levels. 

AU  - Fayekah Assanah
AU  - Kristina Wagstrom
AU  - Daniel D. Burkey
AU  - Marina Creed
CY  - Baltimore , Maryland
DA  - 2023/06/25
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Work in Progress: Project-Based Service Learning Shapes the Morals of First-Year Engineering Students
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/44332
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--44332
ER  -