2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Reimagining the ECE Curriculum by Bridging Technical Preparation, Professional Formation, and University Mission for a Holistic Education: Pilot Implementation

The evolution of engineering education over the past few decades reflects the growing complexity of the challenges engineers encounter in today’s world. Where once technical proficiency was the primary emphasis of engineering education, there is now a growing recognition of the distinct but complementary role that professional formation plays in shaping well-rounded engineers. A holistic approach to engineering education will help us shape future engineers who possess the foundational knowledge and applied skills in their discipline, as well as across disciplinary boundaries, along with global and cultural awareness, social responsibility, ethical leadership, and sustainability and environmental stewardship.
In response to XYZ University’s call for a bold and comprehensive reimagining of curricula, campus-wide, the ECE department has embarked on a transformative journey that bridges professional formation and technical preparation, in a mission-aligned manner. Prior work by the authors focused on reimagining the ECE curriculum, while the pilot study described in this paper will focus on 12 modules that were designed and implemented in select courses spread throughout all four years of the undergraduate ECE curriculum at XYZ University. The modules were designed to include
• Themes such as sustainability and climate change, racial and economic justice, technology and its impacts on society, community engagement and experiential learning, and universal design.
• Elements of professional formation such as ethical and social critical thinking, mentorship, teamwork and conflict resolution, sustainable design, injustice and inequity in access to energy, professional continual learning and professional identity, community-engaged learning, and social responsibility.
This paper provides an overview of the modules, assessment results from the pilot implementation, and lessons learned throughout the process. A combination of direct and indirect assessments are used to evaluate both student learning outcomes and their sentiments regarding the holistic educational experience.

Authors

Dr. Shiny Abraham Seattle University [biography]

Dr. Shiny Abraham is an Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at Seattle University. Her disciplinary research efforts focus on the application of Internet of Things (IoT) technology and Machine Learning towards remote environmental monitoring, and soil and water conservation. Her pedagogical research revolves around leveraging technology trends to enhance interest in ECE, as well as broadening participation in engineering. Dr. Abraham is a member of the IEEE and ASEE, and she serves in leadership roles within both organizations. She also serves on the board of the Inclusive Engineering Consortium (IEC). Dr. Abraham received the B.E. degree in Telecommunication Engineering from
Visveswaraiah Technological University (VTU), India in 2007 and Ph.D. from Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA in 2012.
Dr. Mehmet Vurkac http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4188-7798 Seattle University [biography]

Mehmet Vurkac is an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Seattle University.
Dr. Agnieszka Miguel Seattle University [biography]

Agnieszka Miguel received her Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering in 2001 from the University of Washington, and MSEE and BSEE from Florida Atlantic University in 1996 and 1994. Dr. Miguel's professional interests involve image processing, machine learning, a
Dr. Margarita D. Takach Seattle University [biography]

Dr. Margarita Takach is an Associate Professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at Seattle University. She earned her PhD degree from the University of Washington. Her teaching interests include digital logic, circuits, analog electr
Prof. Henry Louie Seattle University [biography]

Dr. Henry Louie received the B.S.E.E. degree from Kettering University, the M.S. degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the PhD degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Washington in 2008. He is currently an Associat
Shruti Singh Seattle University [biography]

Dr. Shruti Singh is a Term Faculty in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at Seattle University. She earned her PhD degree from University of Denver specializing in renewable energy and smart grids. Her research focus is on renewable energy integration into smart grids, ensuring efficient energy management and grid stability, aiming for a sustainable impact. She is a member of IEEE, ASEE and SWE and has worked on several NSF and NREL funded projects.

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