2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Engineering students often perceive their first-year course as disconnected, leading to disengagement with subjects they view as irrelevant to their fields. This issue is amplified when course assignments focus narrowly on specific concepts without showcasing interdisciplinary or real-world applications. However, as students progress in their studies and careers, they often recognize the interconnectedness of these foundational topics. In this work, we investigate the impact of integrating interdisciplinary concepts into programming labs and assignments, drawing on principles from Dynamics and Electrical Fundamentals. By embedding these core engineering concepts into a first-year programming course, we aim to foster a broader perspective, enhance problem-solving skills, and spark greater engagement among students. Our approach involved designing assignments that incorporated cross-disciplinary content and others without such integration, enabling comparative analysis. Anonymous surveys captured students’ perceptions, learning experiences, and engagement levels. A mixed-methods research design combined quantitative survey data with qualitative feedback. Our results reveal that 78% of students felt cross-disciplinary assignments enhanced their understanding of real-world programming applications, while 92% recognized connections between programming and concepts from Dynamics and Electrical Fundamentals. Moreover, 60% found these assignments more engaging, with one student noting they provided "a taste of what upper-year projects might look like." We conclude that incorporating cross-disciplinary content enhances the student learning experience through observing fields intertwining and their knowledge applied to real-world applications.