2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Learning Coaches as Facilitators for Collaborative Academic and Professional Culture Among Undergraduate Biomedical Engineering Students
Presented at Innovative Approaches to Biomedical Engineering Education
Graduate students serve an important role in mentoring undergraduate students, with many universities actively implementing mentorship programs to enhance the development of undergraduate students. At [Institution], this approach is being refined by utilizing graduate students as learning coaches. In this implementation, learning coaches serve two roles: as 1-on-1 coaches or as project mentors. The learning coaches serve as a bridge between faculty and students, offering practical advice, facilitating teamwork, and encouraging intrinsic motivation. A 1-on-1 coach is a peer graduate student who provides academic, professional, and personal mentorship to undergraduate students. Project mentors offer similar guidance in the context of vertically integrated research teams, guiding students through practical aspects of conducting engineering projects. Much of the research on the topic of graduate student mentors focuses on the role of generic mentoring, coaching techniques, or ethical considerations. There is a need to evaluate the specific impacts on professionalism and the culture of collaboration that arise from incorporating graduate students as learning coaches.
In this research, we investigated the influence that a learning coach and project mentor has on building a culture of academic collaboration and professionalism among undergraduate biomedical engineering (BME) students at [Institution] within an Innovation-Based Learning (IBL) program. In this context, culture refers to the shared values, attitudes, and practices that shape the behaviors of undergraduate students to foster an environment where professionalism and collaboration are prioritized. Professionalism is a highly valued skill sought after by potential employers in the biomedical engineering sector, highlighting the significance of fostering this type of culture early on. Additionally, academic collaboration builds other critical “soft skills” such as teamwork, leadership, and communication. Professionalism and collaboration can be seen as essential mindsets and skills that work together to develop a successful engineer. Motivating an undergraduate culture built around these tenets can prepare student engineers to succeed upon graduation.
We hypothesized that the implementation of learning coaches and project mentors helps to foster this culture of professionalism and academic collaboration among students at [Institution]. We administered the validated Professional Development Attitude section of the Professional Development Survey for Engineering Undergraduates (PDS), developed by Clemson University, to assess student attitudes toward professional development at [Institution]. Demographic questions were also administered along with a series of additional validated questions relating to attitudes toward learning coaches. The results demonstrate that learning coaches may have a significant influence on developing a culture of professionalism and collaboration among undergraduate students. Finally, we provide recommendations for techniques that learning coaches at other institutions can adopt to promote a culture of professionalism.
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Mr. Brandon Fugger University of North Dakota
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Mercedes Terry University of North Dakota [biography]
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Abigail Tubbs University of North Dakota [biography]
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Dr. Enrique Alvarez Vazquez
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7257-0817
University of North Dakota
[biography]
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