2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

The sophomore year is a critical juncture for engineering students when many experience the sophomore slump, which can include uncertainty, lack of motivation, and possible academic decline. Providing students with engaging experiences and support is critical to help mitigate these negative feelings. While focus can be placed on extra-curricular activities, methods used within courses also have lasting impacts on the student experience.
Louisiana Tech University offers six undergraduate engineering degree programs, which include Biomedical, Chemical, Civil, Cyber, Electrical, Industrial, and Mechanical Engineering. The curricula of each of these programs require all students to complete a sequence of three sophomore-level courses, which include Statics and Mechanics of Materials, Electrical Engineering and Circuits, and Thermodynamics. These courses allow students from different majors to gain an understanding and appreciation for fundamental engineering concepts and other disciplines, which will benefit them in internships, research, and their future careers.
The courses in the sequence are taught using a traditional lecture-based approach with a few labs or projects mixed throughout. The courses are managed and taught by instructors within the programs that the courses are perceived to own (e.g., Electrical Engineering and Circuits, managed by faculty in the electrical engineering department). The current approach to the courses is perceived negatively by students. Many students are not engaged in the courses, and those students who do not see it as applicable to their discipline can lack motivation while taking the course. Students often approach the course with the mindset of checking the box for their curriculum requirements. Redesigning the sequence to leverage evidence-based, engaging pedagogy could help students in all disciplines appreciate the courses and recognize the sequence’s value to their education.
This work-in-progress paper focuses on the Electrical Engineering and Circuits course within the sophomore sequence by outlining updates made to the course. These adjustments were implemented in a pilot section during the 2024-2025 academic year. Testimonials from non-electrical engineers in industry were presented at the beginning of class each day to help students connect the course content with majors outside of electrical engineering and see how the course can be beneficial in their careers. In addition, problem- and project-based learning activities were added to the course.
A survey assessing the students’ perceived value of the course as it relates to their major and careers was given to students in the pilot course as well as the concurrent sections that were taught in the traditional manner. The survey will provide a baseline understanding of how the initial changes integrated into the pilot section impact the students' perception of the course and its benefit to their general engineering education, their major, and their future careers as compared to the students in the traditional sections.