2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

The United States has fallen behind in innovation compared to countries across the world. Despite the presence of promising K-12 programs focused on teaching students innovation and entrepreneurially-minded skills, not enough is being done at the university level. Lack of funding and trained personnel are plausible reasons. STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Arts and Mathematics) programs have shown promise in improved student learning and skills associated with innovation such as divergent thinking. STEAM-integrated courses have characteristic interdisciplinarity that is often present in freshman and senior engineering design courses. Although these book-end engineering courses are well-needed and valuable, there are typically finite STEAM experiences in the mid-years which limit skill retention and development of communication throughout completion of the engineering bachelor’s degree. In this study, we developed a STEAM-based activity for a core biomedical engineering sophomore level physiology course and study its benefits and lessons learned using open-ended reflections. Thematic analysis revealed evidence of experiential learning, learning within and across groups, and student suggestions for continuous improvement. The benefits of improved retention, engagement and connections, hallmarks of experiential learning, as well as the marked curiosity suggest the promise of integrating STEAM into a non-design course for undergraduate biomedical engineering students.