2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

How Microelectronics and Microcontrollers are Integrated into First-year and Sophomores Engineering Programs.

In this complete, evidence-based paper, we conducted a systemized literature review to examine the ongoing efforts to introduce microcontrollers and microelectronics to undergraduate engineering students. The preceding few years have witnessed undergraduate engineering programs undertaking substantial initiatives to integrate microelectronics and microcontrollers into first-year engineering courses. All engineering systems, regardless of specialty, incorporate microelectronics and microcontrollers, necessitating the development of competencies surrounding these technologies among all engineering students. Therefore, the need to teach about microelectronics and semiconductors extends beyond electrical and computer engineering to all engineering disciplines. In addition, there is pedagogical value in integrating microcontrollers and microelectronics into first-year and sophomore undergraduate engineering programs to enhance student engagement through grounded, active learning. Three scholarly databases (Compendex, Scopus, and Inspec) provided the data for this analysis. We identified articles that discuss how academic institutions have incorporated microelectronics and microcontrollers into first-year and sophomore curricula. Additionally, we identified the assessment methods and metrics these efforts have utilized to measure the efficacy of the curricular efforts, such as learning, motivation, and retention. The search process resulted in two hundred and sixty-nine (269) papers. Thirty-two (32) provided applicable data regarding the instruction of microelectronics and microcontrollers in first-year and sophomore undergraduate engineering curricula. The results suggest specific ways that microelectronics and microcontrollers enhance the educational experience of first-year and sophomore engineering students.

Authors

Udeme Idem http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2339-050X Purdue University at West Lafayette (COE) [biography]

Udeme Idem is a PhD student and graduate research assistant at the School of Engineering Education at Purdue University, West Lafayette. She received her B. Eng from Federal University Oye-Ekiti in Electrical and Electronics Engineering. She has 13 years of industry experience as a Reliability Engineer (Electrical) in the manufacturing Industry. Her research interests involve advancing ethics, empathy, and policies in engineering education, specifically related to women in engineering, minoritized and underrepresented groups, and strategies to enhance their interest in engineering.
Dr. Senay Purzer http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0784-6079 Purdue University at West Lafayette (PWL) (COE) [biography]

Senay Purzer is a Professor in the School of Engineering Education at Purdue University. Her research is on engineering design reasoning.
Dr. Jason Morphew http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5971-214X Purdue University at West Lafayette (PPI) [biography]

Dr. Jason Morphew is an assistant professor at Purdue University in the School of Engineering Education. He serves as the director of undergraduate curriculum and advanced learning technologies for SCALE and is affiliated with the INSPIRE research institute for Pre-College Engineering and the Center for Advancing the Teaching and Learning of STEM. He serves as the course curator for the Freshman semester engineering design course that serves over 2,500 freshman engineering students every year. His award-winning teaching has been recognized for his teaching in the First Year Engineering program and is the Dr. Morphew has also recently taught courses focused on the pedagogy of integrated STEM and educational research methodology. Dr. Morphew's research focuses on the application of principles of learning derived from cognitive science and the learning sciences to the design and evaluate technology-enhanced learning environments. More specifically, his research examines the impact of technologies such as augmented-reality, gesture-based digital environments, microelectronics, and artificial intelligence on learning, interest, identity, motivation, and decision making in STEM. His research views learning through self-regulated learning, constructivist, and embodied cognition lenses.

Note

The full paper will be available to logged in and registered conference attendees once the conference starts on June 22, 2025, and to all visitors after the conference ends on June 25, 2025