2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

In engineering education, addressing the diverse academic and cognitive needs of mixed-level learners poses a significant challenge. This abstract presents a novel teaching strategy tailored to the "Intro to Mechanical Engineering" course, designed to engage both freshman-level university students and high school participants. The primary aim is to create a stimulating, inclusive, and adaptable learning environment that fosters engagement, encourages motivation, and prevents the course from becoming overwhelming for younger students or monotonous for more experienced learners.
The teaching strategy revolves around three key pillars:
1. Differentiated Learning Pathways: By leveraging modular lessons with tiered objectives, students are given tasks that align with their current academic levels. High school students are introduced to fundamental engineering principles through accessible examples and hands-on activities, while freshmen explore more advanced topics that build on these basics, allowing both groups to progress at their own pace.
2. Collaborative Project-Based Learning (PBL): Mixed teams of high school and freshman students work on engineering projects that require a balance of theoretical knowledge and practical application. High school students focus on foundational aspects (e.g., understanding basic mechanics, assembly, and design principles), while freshmen take on leadership roles that involve problem-solving and more complex calculations, allowing mentorship and peer learning.
3. Adaptive Assessment and Feedback: A multi-layered assessment approach is employed, where evaluations are customized based on each group's learning objectives. This ensures that both groups receive feedback suited to their respective skill levels, promoting growth without discouragement. Dynamic feedback loops, including peer reviews and self-assessments, are also incorporated to empower students to reflect on their learning progress.
This strategy's novelty lies in its ability to bridge educational gaps between age groups while maintaining an enriching learning experience. The approach fosters cross-level collaboration, encourages intrinsic motivation through real-world problem-solving, and ensures that students remain engaged without feeling either overwhelmed or under-challenged.
This approach aims to boost student motivation, promote academic success, and create a dynamic, inclusive classroom environment that maximizes the potential of all students. The implementation of these methods has shown promising outcomes, as evidenced by increased student participation, positive feedback on engagement, and significant improvement in the understanding of mechanical engineering fundamentals across both student groups.