2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Recently revised curriculum to a welding course and purchase of a welding-capable six-axis industrial robot, provided the authors with an opportunity to measure to what extent, if any, student artifact creation has on the development of career interest in fields related to industrial robotics. A mixed methods approach involving phenomenological descriptive research was conducted in addition to quasi-experimental research. Course development took place over a three-semester sequence, with the authors measuring student general, academic, and career interest towards industrial robotics within the course. Initially (first iteration), content was delivered in a lecture-only format. As the course module was developed (second iteration), live robotic welding demonstrations were implemented, and finally (third iteration), an assignment was integrated using the industrial robot and resulted in an educational artifact – an object(s) which students keep. Likert style questions were asked of students at the conclusion of each semester as the curriculum changed, comparing results against courses which already utilize educational artifacts in their instruction. As part of the mixed methods approach, three university instructors were asked what type of hands-on projects they have incorporated into their respective courses, if the projects were taken home, and perceived impact on student interest in the course subject. Thematic analysis and discussion based on the lived experience of these instructors is offered. The educational methodology utilized in this study ties to Seymor Pappert’s foundational theories relative to constructivism, and its known advantages of having students develop project-based work. Connections are also made to project-based learning and its ability to influence engagement, motivation, and information retention.