Engineering Education Lecture Series

Details

Engineering, science, and math courses have traditionally been taught as isolated subjects in introductory undergraduate courses. This has often led to student being unable to apply their learning in new context, which requires reteaching of fundamental knowledge and skills in subsequent upper-level courses. Traditional educational models also require students to complete theoretical coursework before engaging in authentic and real-world problem-solving tasks. At Purdue University my research lab in conjunction with SCALE has redesigned the introductory engineering courses to include microelectronics as a way to introduce systems thinking, engineering design, and coding. Within an embodied learning framework, the integration of hands-on applied learning grounds computational and systems thinking in experience that can facilitate transfer. The results have largely been positive, with gains in student interest, motivation, learning, and transfer. However, many challenges have arisen that are important to consider when integrating new ways of thinking into existing courses. Results and lessons learned will be shared.