2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

The aim of this complete evidence-based practice study was for the instructors, and authors, to better understand students’ confidence levels and sense of belonging across demographics including gender, first generation status, ethnicity and class standing in an introductory mechanical design course. Undergraduates (N = 93) enrolled in the course in spring 2024 were assigned weekly reflection assignments, graded for on-time completion. A subset of items, repeated each week, asked students to rate their ability to apply a set engineering skills being taught in the course that included computer-aided design, use of hands-on making tools, ability to apply engineering theory to a design project, ability to explain design ideas to other students, and ability to apply engineering theory to a design project. Students were also asked weekly, in the reflection assignments, to rate the extent they felt included and welcomed in the class. Paired t-test analyses were conducted on the reflection data to determine means and possible significance (p < 0.05) between students (N = 64) reflection responses early in the quarter-long course and during the final week of instruction. Analysis outcomes confirmed positive and significant gains (p < 0.05) for each criterion assessed at the class level (N = 64). Non-significant gains (p > 0.05) in students’ feelings of belonging were detected in the male (N = 44) and URM (N = 16) demographic groups. The quantitative findings provide a foundation for further investigation into students’ sense of belonging, confidence in their engineering skill and academic outcomes.