2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Responsible Integration of Digital Wellness into Technical Engineering Curricula

Conventional software engineering curricula often prioritizes digital proficiency, while neglecting the broader impacts of digital technologies on individuals mental and physical wellbeing. This educational gap may be long reaching, and may even contribute to software development that is functionally sound but inadvertently contributing to a range of wellness issues. Lack of awareness of digital wellness practices, and the broader impacts of digital technology use, is a pressing issue in our modern world. By incorporating digital wellness education into the engineering curriculum, educators can equip students with the tools required to create more ethically minded and user-centric technologies. This study explores data collection surrounding the implementation and integration of digital wellness content in undergraduate engineering education at the University of Calgary's Schulich School of Engineering. Multiple methods were used to determine average daily digital technology use and digital wellness perceptions in students and educators. The results suggest that students and educators spend a significant amount of time using technological devices yet showed low engagement with digital wellness material. Furthermore, digital wellness was perceived as less valuable than other technical topics, especially by students. Integrating digital wellness education into the core technical curriculum ensures students are trained to be not just technical experts, but also ethical leaders in the digital age.

Authors

Ms. Milana Hayley Grozic University of Calgary / The University of British Columbia [biography]

Ms. Milana Grozic (she/her/hers) is a third year student at The University of British Columbia, pursuing a major in Psychology (BA) and a minor in Health and Society. Her research lands at the intersection of psychology and engineering, with a specific focus on the interactions between engineering technologies and psychological wellbeing. Her passion for the human psycho extends far beyond psychology and she is proud to bring her unique perspectives into engineering education research.
Dr. Emily Ann Marasco University of Calgary [biography]

Dr. Emily Marasco is an instructor of software engineering and the SSE Teaching Chair in Engineering Education Innovation – Digital Transformation. Her pedagogical research and teaching interests are in the areas of innovation and learning engineering, including the use of machine learning, gamification, blended learning, and entrepreneurial thinking as tools for enhancing creativity within software and computer engineering. Dr. Marasco is active as a science communicator and outreach speaker in the local education community. She has been recognized as the 2018 ASTech Outstanding Leader of Tomorrow and received the 2016 Claudette MacKay-Lassonde Graduate Award for women in engineering. She was most recently recognized as one of Calgary’s 2019 Top 40 Under 40 recipients.

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