2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

This work-in-progress paper presents the design and development of a self-paced online learning module on Engineering Safety, created using backward design principles to integrate technical content, regulatory knowledge, and reflective learning. Engineering safety remains a critical yet underemphasized competency in undergraduate engineering education. Students often perceive safety as a matter of compliance rather than as a professional mindset embedded within engineering design, decision-making, and organizational culture. This module seeks to transform that perception by positioning safety as both a technical and ethical responsibility. Grounded in instructional design methodology, the project began with clearly articulated learning outcomes: (1) explain foundational principles of safety engineering and key regulatory frameworks; (2) evaluate how human and organizational factors influence safety outcomes; and (3) design strategies to contribute to a positive safety culture in professional contexts. Using the backward design framework, assessments and learning activities were purposefully aligned to ensure coherence between objectives, instruction, and evaluation. The module comprises five scaffolded components that integrate microlearning videos, scenario-based assessments, and reflective prompts: 1.Introduction to Safety Engineering: Students complete a pre-survey on safety attitudes, view short lecture videos, and analyze manufacturing scenarios to identify safety violations. 2. Key Safety Regulations (OSHA): Learners engage with the OSHA Grocery Store eTool and the AcciMap framework through guided quizzes and application-based exercises. 3.Risk Perception and Safety Attitudes: Students reflect on personal experiences of underestimating risk and analyze cultural differences in safety practices using authentic workplace images. 4. Developing a Safety Culture: Using the Apollo 1 Fire case study, students examine how communication, accountability, and design decisions shape organizational safety culture, culminating in an individual action plan. 5.OSHA Hazard Finder Interactive Simulation: Learners apply knowledge through a virtual hazard identification exercise and conclude with a final reflection on professional application. Evaluation will include pre- and post-surveys, focus group interviews, and thematic analysis of reflections to assess shifts in safety attitudes and conceptual understanding. This paper contributes to instructional design scholarship by demonstrating how backward design and reflective scaffolding can be leveraged to create mindset-oriented, outcomes-driven learning in safety engineering education.