2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Interdisciplinary Overload: Can Incorporating Biology In an Introductory Engineering Course Turn Some Students Away from Engineering Pathways?

Presented at Pre-College Engineering Education Division (PCEE) Technical Session 15

This research examines the impact of a biologically inspired design (BID) engineering curriculum on students' commitment to persist in engineering and their changes in self-efficacy related to engineering. Additionally, it investigates potential differences between genders. The study involved high school students (n=143) enrolled in an engineering course. Data for this quantitative analysis included pre- and post-surveys measuring intent to persist and engineering self-efficacy. Descriptive statistics were utilized to analyze the responses, revealing an increase in students' confidence in their abilities to identify a design need (from 69% to 79%) and to evaluate a design (from 66% to 76%) following their engagement with the BID curriculum and activities. The findings also highlighted notable differences between female and male students regarding their intent to pursue engineering and their overall engineering self-efficacy.

Authors

Dr. Abeera P. Rehmat http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4977-5830 Georgia Institute of Technology [biography]

Abeera P. Rehmat is a Research Scientist II, at Georgia Institute of Technology’s Center for Education Integrating
Science, Mathematics and Computing (CEISMC). She has experience conducting research in engineering education that
spans pre-college up to the collegiate level. Her research interest involves investigating how engineering and computer
science education can foster students critical thinking and problem-solving skills to prepare them for the challenges of this
evolving world.
Dr. Michael Helms Georgia Institute of Technology
Dr. Meltem Alemdar Georgia Institute of Technology [biography]

Dr. Meltem Alemdar is s Associate Director and Principal Research Scientist at Georgia Institute of Technology Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics and Computing (CEISMC). Her research focuses on improving K-12 STEM education through research on curriculum development, teacher professional development, and student learning in integrated STEM environments. Dr. Alemdar currently serves as PI and co-PI for research on various NSF funded projects that focuses on engineering education, teacher networks and STEM learning environments. Her expertise includes program evaluation, social network analysis, mixed methods, and advanced quantitative methods. Dr. Alemdar is passionate advocate for equitable and inclusive STEM education. She actively engages with educators, students, and communities to promote the importance of STEM disciplines and education research in preparing the next generation for the challenges of the future.She received her Ph.D. in Educational Policy, with a concentration in Research, Measurement, and Statistics, from Georgia State University.
Dr. Marc Weissburg [biography]

School of Biological Sciences, Co Director of the Center for Biologically Inspired Design, project PI

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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