2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Most engineering educators agree that laboratories are a key part of the engineering curriculum, but there is less agreement about what labs are to accomplish. This ambiguity may be partially attributed to changing views in science more broadly about the role of experimentation and parallel changes in emphasis on lab education throughout the twentieth century. When laboratories are seen as practical necessities, their perceived importance decreases. At present, many are returning to the view that laboratories play a key epistemic role. This paper develops a role for philosophy in understanding the purpose of laboratories. Concepts from classical and modern philosophy will be related to undergraduate engineering laboratories. Plato’s view of learning as recollection will be used to suggest stages of understanding in a laboratory. John Henry Newman’s concept of real assent will be presented as a key purpose for the laboratory. Alfred North Whitehead’s rhythm of education will provide guidance on where laboratories naturally fit in the engineering curriculum. Taken together, these sources will develop an answer to the question: what is the role of the laboratory in engineering education?