2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

In engineering schools, common introductory courses (i.e. physics, computer science, and calculus) are designed to equip students with the foundational skills necessary to succeed in advanced coursework upon specializing in a subject area. However, programs often neglect to expose students early-on to the research, applications, ethical/social concerns, and career/internship opportunities available within individual engineering fields and related subdisciplines, often resulting in uninformed major selection. Consequently, students may pursue an academic path that does not adequately align with their interests and aptitudes. To help remedy this issue, a 1-credit, survey-style student-taught course within the biomedical engineering department, BME 1501: Innovations in Neuroscience, was designed to introduce undergraduate students (primarily those in their first and second year) to clinical applications, research, and professional opportunities within the fields of neuroscience and biomedical engineering. Student-taught courses are unique in that the curriculum can be designed to fulfill the students’ interests and foster a supportive environment that facilitates interactions between both the instructors and the students. For this student-taught course, neuroscience was selected as the course topic because it is a multidisciplinary field that integrates biology with engineering and healthcare. This topic not only introduces students to physiology fundamentals and research/clinical innovation but also highlights the importance for engineers to consider inequities and disparities while developing technologies.

During the semester, the teaching of foundational neuroscience and engineering concepts through exposure to currently-developing/developed technologies was intertwined with case studies and discussions surrounding social implications, ethics and equity. Students were exposed to a diverse range of healthcare and research-based technologies including brain imaging methods, neuroprosthetics, psychiatric medications, and optogenetics. Course content and teaching approaches were adapted as needed throughout the semester based on student feedback. Additionally, the students had the opportunity to hear from four guest speakers representing diverse fields including industry, research, and medicine. The purpose of these guest speakers was to expose students to the post-graduation opportunities and career-paths available within biomedical engineering and neuroscience.

The final expected deliverables for this course include a 10-minute technical PowerPoint presentation detailing a pre-existing or prototyped novel device that furthers neuroscience research and/or clinical treatment. Biweekly short-answer discussion questions were assigned as homework throughout the semester to gauge students’ understanding of the material presented in class; students were consistently provided with instructional feedback on their submissions. Pre-semester and post-semester surveys were assigned and results were compiled to conduct a comparative analysis and determine the effectiveness of the course in achieving its goals. These surveys included 5 questions, 1 of which was a multiple choice, 3 of which were open-ended, and 2 of which were Likert scale questions. Both of the Likert scale questions consisted of 9 sub-questions, each designed to measure how well the course familiarizes students with neuroscience concepts and engineering competencies such as collaboration and research. The multiple choice and the open-ended questions placed an emphasis on the students’ interests and course improvements.

This paper will discuss the results of the pre-semester and post-semester surveys and a qualitative criteria assessment on student discussion responses. Results will be used to evaluate for improved understanding of biomedical engineering applications, research, and professional opportunities. We aim to show that survey-style student-taught courses, incorporating diverse teaching modalities, meeting student interests, and exposing students to a wide range of disciplines, offer students improved guidance in academic decision making. This contributes to an improved sense of academic and career confidence among students and excitement surrounding their education.