2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

This full paper is the first of four papers from a five year longitudinal study that examines the design of an experimental course to promote student agency and holistic learning within an electrical and computer engineering (ECE) program. The undergraduate engineering education experience is typically organized as a series of courses that lead to an engineering degree, preparing students for engineering careers. An earned engineering degree is often viewed as a proxy for graduates who are adept at performing engineering tasks. Accrediting bodies such as ABET require that students achieve certain outcomes and complete a specified number of credits in curriculum areas to prepare students for the engineering workforce. It is assumed that students will make connections across these individual courses and that seeing the larger context will prepare them to be successful engineers.

We also value the incoming diversity of our students and see the need to redesign courses and programming that better reflect our students and their agency in pursuing multiple engineering educational and career paths. Additionally, the emphasis on individual courses rather than a coordinated curriculum, along with the varied pathways available in more flexible curricula, can create challenges related to continuity and knowledge transfer. Since the student experience is primarily focused on courses, there is often little space for students to explore beyond course boundaries. This can limit creativity and opportunities to make connections between educational and personal experiences, which is necessary for all students, particularly for those from underrepresented groups.

This paper examines how a department is supporting holistic engineering education through a multi-year “course” experience that will eventually be taken by all students enrolled in the ECE program. In this study, we focused on a pilot course termed “Year 0.” In this initial phase, we sought to understand students’ interests and needs to design the next course offering, or “Year 1.” In this pilot course, students and faculty reimagined what student agency and holistic growth was through assignments, grading approaches, discussion formats, and infrastructural support. Using design based research methods, we identified how students enacted agency in designing their academic and professional trajectories, and the curricula and cultural changes and challenges that occurred along the way. Findings from this study will be used to develop a four-year curriculum spanning course for ECE students that is focused on creating a more inclusive and holistic learning environment by giving students time, space, and support to better align their engineering education with their interests and goals.