2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Many instructors begin their teaching career with limited industry experience or local networks, especially those who move directly from a PhD program into academia. Yet they are expected to prepare students for industry careers they have not experienced. Even motivated faculty who seek industry exposure to better prepare their students often lack a clear starting point, receive little institutional guidance, and have very limited time. As a result, courses tend to lean on textbook-centered, theory-heavy lectures.

Prior work suggests that instructors with industry exposure use more practical examples, advise more effectively on careers, and integrate professional skills such as communication and teamwork with greater intention. When instructors lack current practice insights, students encounter fewer real-world examples, have fewer pathways to guest speakers and site visits, and miss opportunities to explore the contemporary tools and constraints that shape engineering decisions. Common approaches to building faculty industry experience, such as sabbaticals and faculty internships or externships, require significant time, funding, or staffing changes and may not be feasible at many institutions. In short, we need accessible options that help instructors connect with industry within regular courses, without special budgets or extended leave.

This paper presents one such approach implemented in a Materials Engineering course. In this course-embedded project, student teams identify a local materials-related company, initiate contact, and organize either a short site visit or a virtual interview. Students lead the outreach and planning process, while the instructor participates in the interaction and learns alongside them. This shared experience enables instructors to build professional connections and gain firsthand awareness of current tools, practices, and workplace challenges, which can inform new course examples, guest invitations, and curriculum updates. At the same time, students strengthen professional communication skills, gain early networking experience, and better understand how classroom concepts connect to industry applications.

How student-driven assignments influence instructors’ industry awareness and prompt curriculum changes remains unexplored. This study examines how a low-barrier, student-driven assignment affects instructors’ awareness of industry practices, professional connections, and teaching approaches, as well as its impact on students’ understanding of real-world engineering applications. Evidence will be collected through instructor and student self-reflections at the end of the semester. Instructor reflections will document new insights about industry, the influence of the activity on teaching, and any professional relationships or curriculum updates that emerge. Instructor will also ask students for feedback and suggestions on potential industry-based projects or course enhancements inspired by their experiences. This feedback will help identify practical ways to integrate industry perspectives into future course offerings and strengthen the connection between classroom learning and professional practice. Student reflections will capture what they learned about materials practice, communication, and the connection between theory and application. A short post-activity survey will complement this by providing quantitative data on students’ perceived industry awareness, ability to relate course concepts to practice, and confidence in professional communication.

This study presents a simple and replicable classroom model that helps instructors gain industry insight within the evolving materials field while improving student career readiness as part of a regular engineering course. Through a structured, student-led outreach assignment, both groups engage directly with industry, forming practical connections that enhance teaching, learning, and the relevance of course content. The activity offers an accessible way for instructors to gain exposure to contemporary practices and build meaningful industry ties without requiring extended leave, added workload, or special funding.