2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Assessing Learning and Self-Efficacy in Online Modules on Systems Thinking and Systems Engineering

Presented at Systems Engineering Division (SYS) Technical Session 1

Modern engineering solutions increasingly require cross-disciplinary knowledge and collaboration along with a holistic approach to engineering design. Systems thinking and systems engineering concepts provide tools to manage these complex problems, but these tools are typically not covered in conventional engineering disciplines’ undergraduate curricula. This work describes the results of applying a flipped classroom approach to infusing systems thinking and systems engineering concepts into a first-year discipline-specific engineering course. Online learning modules with in-line practice activities and embedded assessments were used to present both the conventional product development process and extensions using selected concepts from systems thinking and systems engineering. Classroom time typically used to present the conventional product development and systems thinking content was used for hands-on activities such as product decomposition, case studies, and short design challenges. By infusing introductory systems thinking and systems engineering content in introductory engineering courses, the authors hope to inspire a holistic approach to engineering that will persist (and can be built upon) in subsequent engineering courses.

This paper’s focus is on the online learning materials used to prepare students for in-class activities. It describes the embedded technical assessment results and self-efficacy scores on associated learning outcomes for students using these learning modules at three institutions: a large public university, a small public technical university, and a private university. The study discusses relationships between self-efficacy and technical assessment results along with differences in these findings across the different university populations. Self-efficacy results are compared against control data captured in earlier implementations of the course using a conventional in-class presentation approach. Future work will explore correlations between data from the online learning modules and performance on in-class hands-on activities.

Authors

Dr. Mark David Bedillion http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5065-4131 Carnegie Mellon University [biography]

Dr. Bedillion received the BS degree in 1998, the MS degree in 2001, and the PhD degree in 2005, all from the mechanical engineering department of Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). Dr. Bedillion is currently a Teaching Professor and Director of Academic Operations in the CMU Mechanical Engineering department. His previous experience includes serving as an Associate Professor at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology and a researcher / manager at Seagate Technology. His research interests are in STEM education and control of mechatronic systems.
Dr. Laura Ochs Pottmeyer Carnegie Mellon University [biography]

Laura Pottmeyer is a Data Science Research Associate at Carnegie Mellon University's Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence and Educational Innovation. She consults with faculty members and graduate students on implementing educational research projects. S
Dr. Karim Heinz Muci-Kuchler http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2272-2886 Texas State University [biography]

Dr. Karim Muci-Kuchler is a Professor and Mechanical Engineering Program Coordinator at the Ingram School of Engineering of Texas State University. Before joining Texas State University, he was a Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Director of the Experimental and Computational Mechanics Laboratory at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. He received his Ph.D. in Engineering Mechanics from Iowa State University in 1992. His main interest areas include Computational Mechanics, Solid Mechanics, Product Design and Development, and STEM Education. He has taught several different courses at the undergraduate and graduate level, has over 80 publications, is co-author of one book, and has done consulting for industry in Mexico and the US. Dr. Muci-Kuchler is an ASME Fellow.
Lynn Kojtek Carnegie Mellon University
Prof. Anahita Emami
Dr. Cassandra M Birrenkott http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6137-0820 South Dakota Mines [biography]

Dr. Cassandra (Degen) Birrenkott received her B.S. degree in Metallurgical Engineering from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in 2007. She received her Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering in 2012 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, studying mechanochemical reactions of a spiropyran mechanophore in polymeric materials under shear loading. She is currently an Associate Professor in the Mechanical Engineering department at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology where her research interests include novel manufacturing and characterization techniques of polymer and composite structures and the incorporation of multifunctionality by inducing desired responses to mechanical loading.

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

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