2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Almost all undergraduate engineering programs require fundamental courses in mathematics, physics, and science. These often include calculus, chemistry, physics, differential equations, statistics, and many others. While some students begin to take these courses in high school, many engineering students spend the majority of their first and second years fulfilling these requirements. The learning from these courses is critical since many engineering topics build upon the concepts covered. This paper focuses on how students apply learning from mathematics, science, and physics courses to engineering courses using the lens of learning transfer. Learning transfer refers to the application of learning from one context in a new context. For example, it may be important for students to apply concepts from their differential equations coursework to new concepts in their signal and system analysis course. Alternatively, students may need to transfer their physics knowledge to their power systems design course. Though fundamental for success in engineering, very little research has investigated the transfer of learning between basic math, science, and physics courses and the rest of the engineering curriculum, specifically through the eyes of students. As a result, little literature is available for helping instructors assist students in transitioning into these courses. In addition, there is little guidance for students seeking to learn best practices for transferring their learning. This paper presents findings from interviews with current biological systems engineering students regarding their perceptions of transfer between fundamental coursework and more advanced engineering courses. The potential implications of this paper include providing valuable insights into the effectiveness of current educational approaches in facilitating the transfer of learning from fundamental coursework to advanced engineering courses, thereby informing strategies to enhance the learning experience for biological systems engineering students.