2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Human-Centered Engineering (HCE) distinguishes itself from other engineering approaches through its focus on human needs and social context in addition to technical rigor. Yet, translating this philosophy into concrete educational design remains a persistent challenge. This poster presents the Knowledge Capabilities Mindsets (KCM) Framework, a structured approach for defining the core components of HCE lessons and learning experiences. The KCM framework offers educators a practical method for identifying the procedural and declarative knowledge students must acquire, the applied capabilities they must develop, and the human-centered mindsets they must adopt to address complex, real-world problems. The framework is demonstrated through a case study examining an extracurricular HCE workshop for undergraduate audiences focused on identifying the underlying needs addressed by a renaissance era device. Through this example, the poster illustrates how the KCM model supports alignment between learning outcomes, lesson design, and assessments to support the distinct values of HCE; empathy, ethical awareness, interdisciplinary collaboration, and design for societal benefit. The findings highlight how explicitly mapping lessons across the KCM dimensions clarifies the distinctiveness of HCE and provides a replicable method for developing curricula that merge technical excellence with human-centered purpose.