2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Mastery meets mindset: Cultivating entrepreneurial mindset habits through mastery-based learning.

Presented at Entrepreneurship & Engineering Innovation Division (ENT) Technical Session 1- Curriculum and Course Design

Mastery-Based Learning (MBL) shifts the focus from earning partial credit to demonstrating complete proficiency in specific skills. In this model, students often experience multiple failures before achieving mastery, making failure an integral part of the learning process. Prior research has shown that this approach can foster an entrepreneurial mindset (EM) by reshaping students’ perceptions of failure and increasing their tolerance for future setbacks.

This study investigates the impact of MBL courses on the development of three specific EM habits defined by the KEEN framework:
1. Resilience: the ability to recover from setbacks and persist through challenges,
2. Growth Mindset: a commitment to learning and improvement through feedback, and
3. Accountability: taking ownership of actions and their outcomes.

Pre- and post-course survey data were collected from students enrolled in MBL courses across four universities. Results indicate that MBL assessments positively influences the development of these EM habits, suggesting that structured experiences with failure as an undergraduate can motivate EM growth.

Authors

Dr. Joshua Gargac Ohio Northern University [biography]

Joshua Gargac is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Ohio Northern University.
Dr. Kurt M Degoede http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0118-4951 Elizabethtown College [biography]

Professor of Engineering and Physics, Elizabethtown College. His research interests in biomechanics include developing clinical instruments for rehabilitation. Dr. DeGoede teaches upper-level undergraduate mechanical engineering using a Mastery-Based assessment model and design courses and first-year multidisciplinary courses.
Dr. Sara A. Atwood Elizabethtown College [biography]

Dr. Sara A. Atwood is the Dean of the School of Engineering and Computer Science and Professor of Engineering at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania. She holds a BA and MS in Engineering Sciences from Dartmouth College, and PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley.
Mark Brinton http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7673-2203 Elizabethtown College [biography]

Dr. Mark Brinton currently teaches electrical and biomedical engineering courses at Elizabethtown College. Prior to joining Elizabethtown College, he studied advanced prosthetic limbs at the University of Utah (postdoc, Biomedical Engineering) and electro-neural stimulation at Stanford University (PhD, Electrical Engineering).
Dr. Rachel Horenstein University of Denver [biography]

Dr. Rachel Horenstein is a Teaching Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Denver. She currently teaches courses in solid mechanics and biomedical engineering topics. Dr. Horenstein earned her B.S. degree from Boston University and her M.S. degree from the University of Southern California, both in Biomedical Engineering. She earned her Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Northeastern University.
Dr. Jiehong Liao http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4083-9663 Florida Gulf Coast University [biography]

Dr. Jiehong Liao is an Associate Professor and Program Director of Bioengineering at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU). She earned a Ph.D. in Bioengineering from Rice University and a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). Originally from Hawaii, her journey into academia began with the Rensselaer Medalist award and being selected into the inaugural class of Gates Millennium Scholars. Before joining FGCU, she was a Visiting Assistant Professor of Biotechnology in the Division of Science and Technology at the United International College (UIC) in Zhuhai China. She has trained with ASCE’s Excellence in Civil Engineering Education (ExCEEd) initiative, been exploring and applying evidence-based strategies for instruction, and is a proponent of Learning Assistants (LAs) and Mastery-Based Learning (MBL). Her scholarship of teaching and learning interests are in motivation and mindset, teamwork and collaboration, and learning through failure and reflection. Her bioengineering research interests and collaborations are in the areas of biomaterials, cellular microenvironments, and tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. She serves on leadership teams for the Whitaker Center of STEM Education and the Lucas Center for Faculty Development at FGCU, and is a member of the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) and the KEEN Engineering Unleashed Network. Honors include being named an Engineering Unleashed Fellow and Campus Rising Star, U.A. Whitaker College of Engineering Excellence in Education Award, and nomination for the FGCU Teaching Excellence Award.

Note

The full paper will be available to logged in and registered conference attendees once the conference starts on June 21, 2026, and to all visitors after the conference ends on June 24, 2026

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