2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Background and research question: Keshwani, J., and Curtis, E. (2017) found that sophomore students in biological engineering are motivated by the opportunity to make this world a better place, help others solve problems, and improve other people's lives. Keshwani, D. and Keshwani, J. (2019) provided evidence that 67% of biological engineering students, who participated in a survey, placed interpersonal relationships as their biggest success during their first year at university. Moreover, students commented that good relationships and connections are good strategies for navigating college successfully. Prior studies have reported that when students work together, they stay motivated and are more likely to finish their academic programs; additionally, students participate in active learning when they discuss the course content with their peers (Hershock & LaVaque-Manty, 2012). Developing a sense of community within the classroom is a good start for students motivated by helping others while working as a team to solve the world's food, energy, and water problems. Facilitating community-building helps students to practice interpersonal skills that will transfer to their professional interactions.
This study aims to determine if community-building activities enhance a learning environment to engage students with the content delivered in class and to pursue their degree. We will integrate technology into some of the activities. The study will answer if students value community-building activities after experiencing isolation and limited social interactions during the COVID pandemic. The study will analyze social skills developed by community-building activities and their potential impact on student retention.
After analyzing the acceptance of the activities designed for community building, we will design a one-hour workshop directed at teaching assistants to share the type of activities that could be introduced in a STEAM class. We will survey the teaching assistants to get their perception of community building among students and between teaching assistants and students. Since the teaching assistants are graduate students in the department, this will provide innovative ideas to prepare them for an academic career.
Methodology: First, we received IRB approval to conduct the research. We designed open-ended questions that will be asked as part of their assignments throughout the semester. The data collected will be from students enrolled in a sophomore-level engineering course, “Engineering properties of Biological Materials”. The students will provide their consent to analyze their answers. The person collecting the consent forms is a Co-Investigator in this study and has no relationship with the class. All participants' information will remain confidential. The data from teaching assistants (TA) will be collected at the beginning and at the end of the workshop. This survey will share qualitative data reflecting on their experience participating in a course promoting community-building. Their decision to participate or not will not affect their TA position. All TAs will be invited to participate in answering the survey, but only the data from those who consent will be used.
Motivation: Engaging students in the classroom is always challenging for instructors. While technology sometimes distracts students, it can be strategically integrated into the classroom to help students connect with each other. The perceptions of students related to community building, whether negative or positive, will provide feedback to improve the course, and it may be interesting for other instructors that are considering adopting community-building activities as part of their student-centered learning strategies.