2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Non-Electrical Engineering Students’ Perceived Value of an Engineering Circuits Course

Presented at Multidisciplinary Engineering Division (MULTI) Technical Session 6: Experiences in Multidisciplinary Robotics Education I

Students can be strengthened as engineers in their field when they have a broad understanding of core engineering fundamental topics outside of their specific discipline. This principle drives the common sophomore engineering curriculum at ________ University where courses on statics, thermodynamics, and circuits are required for all engineering students regardless of major.

However, engaging all students across disciplines in concepts that are not directly in their field can be difficult for the instructors of the courses. In an effort to mitigate disinterest from non-electrical engineering students in the circuits course, a pilot curriculum was developed to introduce new elements to the class such as real-world applications, project- and problem-based learning, and practicing engineer testimonials.

Preliminary data for this study was presented in the work-in-progress paper “________” which only included data from the Fall 2024 quarter of the pilot. This paper is an expansion on the WIP by increasing the dataset to include four additional quarters through Fall 2025.

This paper will present results from a survey based on the expectancy value theory framework that is used to assess the students’ perceived value of the course as it relates to their major and careers and an end-of-course survey that asks more specific questions about the course content. Each quarter, the surveys were given to students in the pilot section as well as the concurrent sections that were taught in the traditional manner. The results will provide a baseline understanding of how the initial changes integrated into the pilot section impact the students' perception of the course and its benefit to their general engineering education and their future careers as compared to the students in the traditional sections.

Authors

Mrs. Ashton Garner Ward Louisiana Tech University [biography]

Ashton Ward is an Engineering Education Ph.D. student researching students' perceived value of course content. She has five years of industry experience working as an Electrical Design Engineer. She holds a master’s degree in electrical engineering and has an active professional engineering license in the state of Louisiana.
Dr. Krystal Corbett Cruse Louisiana Tech University [biography]

Dr. Krystal Corbett Cruse is the First-Year Engineering Programs Coordinator and Assistant Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department at Louisiana Tech University. She is also the Director of the Office for Women in Science and Engineering at Louisiana Tech.
Dr. Casey Kidd http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0357-091X Louisiana Tech University [biography]

Casey Kidd is an engineering professional working in the College of Engineering and Science at Louisiana Tech University. His focus is design of in-class projects within the engineering and technology curricula, managing the prototyping lab within the college, as well as teaching engineering and engineering technology courses. He earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in mechanical engineering from Louisiana Tech University in the Spring of 2004 and Spring of 2022, respectively. He completed his PhD in Engineering in the Spring of 2025, with a concentration in Engineering Education. The focus of his research is project-based learning in engineering and engineering technology classrooms.
Matthew Hartmann Louisiana Tech University [biography]

Matthew J. Hartmann received his B.S. – Electrical Engineering (2008), M.S. – Electrical Engineering (2016), M.S. – Applied Physics (2017), and Ph.D. – Engineering (2017) degrees from Louisiana Tech University, where he currently serves as the Program Chair & Lecturer for Electrical Engineering. Additionally, he is the faculty advisor for both the Louisiana Tech University IEEE Student Chapter and the Delta Gamma Chapter of IEEE-Eta Kappa Nu. Outside of his teaching and service responsibilities, he is engaged in research related to utility grid reliability, energy storage systems, and engineering education.

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