2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Calls from the American Society of Civil Engineers and the National Academy of Engineering, and a similar but more recent statement from the National Association of Colleges and Employers all assert the need for engineers that are not only competent with a certain set of knowledge and skills, but also have a mindset for creating value. In order to accomplish this, engineering content needs to not only engage the students cognitively but also in the affective domain, fostering students’ identity as engineers who have an entrepreneurial mindset. We present two accounts of how story-driven learning and focused team development were integrated into different courses and highlight how they can amplify the impacts of activities fostering curiosity, connections, and value creation (the 3Cs). In one, this results in students who have more clarity regarding their own engineering identity and the unique perspectives their peers can contribute. In the other, students learned and applied principles of effective teaming and used stories to reflect on their experiences. Student reflections, individually and in teams, show augmented self-awareness, appreciation of trust and stronger connections as keys to stronger teams, and an association of stronger teams with better teamwork, affecting project outcomes. Their reflections highlight how teams and stories may be used together to augment student connections and project outcomes, adding value both to the learning experience and outcomes, and, in so doing, to future academic and professional project experiences. Ultimately this creates students who are more self-aware and proficient in collaboration, identify more deeply with the profession, and can integrate the 3Cs into their work.