2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Sustainability and its applications in engineering are now finding its way into the engineering curriculum. It is essential that the next generation of engineers is trained in sustainability principles, enabling them to design products that account for environmental impact, life cycle assessment, and environmentally responsible material selection from the earliest stages of design. Experiential learning practices such as industrial visits and interaction with experts can positively impact students’ entrepreneurial mindset (EM) and cognitive levels, leading to a deeper understanding of course content. At Western New England University an elective course titled ‘Sustainable Manufacturing’ was developed with industrial visits to local medical device manufacturing companies for real-world experience and making students curious about sustainability. Engineering for one Planet (EOP) framework’s nine focused areas were used to develop classroom topics, discussion activities and group presentations. It was hypothesized that after taking this course, students will demonstrate high cognitive skills related to Bloom’s taxonomy and gain knowledge and skills about topics such as Life cycle assessment and costing, Lean manufacturing, Environmental impact, Industrial standards, Packaging and Green supply chain. The impact of this work was assessed using summative assessments such as graded presentations, quizzes and reflections. EOP and EM student learning outcomes were assessed using an Institutional Review Board (IRB) approved survey consisting of 5-choice Likert-scale (0-4) questions related to nine sustainability topic areas aligned with Bloom’s taxonomy and KEEN framework. Results demonstrated high level of students’ perception of gain in their skills related to EOP and EM skills covered during the course. Students showed a statistically significant improvement in their knowledge about sustainability related topics covered as lectures, discussions and industrial visits. The inclusion of industrial visits presented an opportunity for the students to make meaningful connections between the course content and real-world applications that led to improvement in their cognitive and EM skills. Hence, the experiential learning elevated student learning and engagement as well as helped them to be better engineers while developing a sustainable outlook.