2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Impact of an Introductory Drone Course on First-Year Engineering Students

Presented at FPD: Complete Papers - Technical Skills in FYE

This complete research paper explored the effects of an introductory drone course on first-year engineering students’ self-efficacy, sense of belonging, and engineering identity, grounded in three distinct theoretical frameworks: social cognitive theory, theory of instructional departure, and social identity theory. We employed a convergent mixed method research design to address our research questions. A one-credit introductory drone course was offered to students at a western R1 public university, both in-person and HyFlex formats, over 16 weeks in Spring 2025. An online survey consisting of Likert-scale items, open-ended questions, and demographic questions was administered before and after the course to collect student data on how the introductory drone course shaped or altered their perceptions of self-efficacy in engineering, sense of belonging in engineering, and engineering identity. Among a total of 14 undergraduate engineering students who participated in either the pre-survey or the post-survey, only seven responded to both surveys, and three first-year engineering students were interviewed. Possibly, due to the small sample size of seven, student perceptions of self-efficacy, sense of belonging, and engineering identity did not show any statistically significant changes between pre- and post-surveys. However, the findings from open-ended responses on pre- and post-surveys and interviews highlighted that the introductory drone course had a positive impact on first-year engineering students’ self-efficacy, sense of belonging, and engineering identity.

Authors

Mr. Iman Shayegani http://orcid.org/https://0009-0008-8930-3724 University of Cincinnati [biography]

Iman Shayegani is a Ph.D. student in Engineering Education at the University of Cincinnati. He earned his Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Tehran and his Master's degree in the same field from Shiraz University. His research focuses on designing and implementing instructional interventions in Circuits I courses to enhance students’ conceptual understanding of electrical circuits. He is also actively engaged in assessment development, with a particular interest in psychometric analysis and the refinement of concept inventories related to circuits and electronics.
Ibrahim Nihad Awartani http://orcid.org/https://0000-0001-6267-8253 University of Cincinnati [biography]

Ibrahim Awartani is an international doctoral student pursuing Engineering Education in the Department of Engineering and Computing Education and a Master's of Applied Research Methods at the University of Cincinnati. His BSc is a Mechanical Engineering degree from Philadelphia University in Jordan. His MSc background is a Master's of Sciences in Engineering Management from Eastern Michigan University. He has 5 years of project management experience in the construction and consulting fields, as well as yearly summer teaching experiences at Eastern Michigan University in Qinzhou, China. His research interests are in international curricula, assessment and measurement, accessibility, course climates, department culture, and course intervention research.
Dr. So Yoon Yoon http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1868-1054 University of Cincinnati [biography]

Dr. So Yoon Yoon is an assistant professor in the Department of Engineering and Computing Education in the College of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Cincinnati, OH, USA. Dr. Yoon received her Ph.D. in Gifted Education and an M.S.Ed. in Research Methods and Measurement with a specialization in Educational Psychology, both from Purdue University, IN, USA. She also holds an M.S. in Astronomy and Astrophysics and a B.S. in Astronomy and Meteorology from Kyungpook National University, South Korea. Her work centers on elementary, secondary, and postsecondary engineering education research as a psychometrician, data analyst, and program evaluator with research interests in spatial ability, STEAM education, workplace climate, and research synthesis with a particular focus on meta-analysis. She has developed, validated, revised, and copyrighted several instruments beneficial for STEM education research and practice. Dr. Yoon has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed journal articles and conference proceedings and served as a journal reviewer in engineering education, STEM education, and educational psychology. She has also served as a PI, co-PI, advisory board member, or external evaluator on several NSF- and NASA-funded projects.
Prof. Jae Ryu University of Idaho [biography]

Dr. Jae Ryu is an Associate Professor at the University of Idaho. His research interest is to advance environmental monitoring using Unmanned Aerial System (UAS, a.k.a drone). Dr. Ryu is currently hosting Idaho/Interstate Drone League (iDrone) to engage students through an immerse experimental STEM-based learning program by introducing 6th to 12th grade. He received his Ph.D. from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Washington, Seattle in 2006 and he experienced various UAS technologies and sensors platforms at United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) through Air Force Faculty Fellowship program in years 2015 – 2016. He is currently affiliated with professional societies, including the American Geophysical Union, the American Water Resources Association, and the American Society of Civil Engineers. For more details about his iDrone program, visit at: https://www.idroneprogram.org

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