2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

This research paper details a collaboration between an engineering professor with a background in engineering education and a mental health counselor with a background in modern psychoanalysis and cognitive psychology. We discuss the implementation of a novel intervention for first-year engineering students around conscious and unconscious bias in engineering design. Beyond typical discussions of bias in engineering, we take the concept a step further to the root psychoanalytic mechanisms, taking a deep dive into concepts around the unconscious mind, and using these to structure our intervention activities. A qualitative study was conducted based on the results of a group activity where students articulated their thoughts within four psychologically derived categories around one of two design scenarios, aiming to build a better understanding of how student groups characterize their chosen engineering design scenarios within these categories. Lastly, we explore some conclusions and recommendations for practitioners looking to expand their engineering design curriculum by emphasizing the unconscious mind in direct and engaging ways.