2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

RIEF: Assessing Student Engagement in a BME-focused Global Experiential Learning Program Through Application of Situated Learning Theory

Presented at NSF Grantees Poster Session II

MOTIVATION: The Biomedical Engineering Design collaboration (BMED) at Clemson University (CU) in South Carolina and Arusha Technical College (ATC) in Tanzania is a global experiential learning program centered on innovation of biomedical technologies. BMED creates international learning opportunities for undergraduate engineering students at both institutions. It helps meet the growing demand for skilled biomedical engineers in the expanding healthcare and medical device industries.
PROJECT: Our faculty saw the need to improve BMED by: 1) creating more consistent competencies and teaching methods across partners; 2) offering more opportunities for students to build cross-cultural and practical skills in biomedical engineering design; and 3) including underserved communities. In response, we developed a new BMED hybrid exchange model that blends global competencies with both virtual and in-person exchange experiences. Aligned with a pragmatic paradigm, we applied Situated Learning Theory (SLT) to emphasize that learning happens best when situated within authentic activities, contexts, and communities of practice, with knowledge gained through active participation and social interaction. SLT focuses on: i) learning by participating in a community of practice; ii) the context and environment where learning happens; and iii) involving both novices and experts in the learning process.
METHODOLOGY: Our central research question is: to what extent, and in what ways, is student engagement in an international clinically embedded biomedical engineering community of practice altered by different types and levels of participation in a BME-focused global experiential learning program? Using a mixed-methods approach, we assess student development of a global mindset and characterize essential SLT constructs. Quantitative data include a global mindedness scale for the constructs of perceived personal growth, professional growth, and cultural growth. Qualitative data include coding and analysis of participant interviews and reflective writing prompts for the constructs of community setting, relationships between novices and experts, and activities, artifacts and identities.
RESULTS: This project connects biomedical students across continents to build global perspectives. We defined the context as an international, clinically-embedded BME community of practice in four countries (USA, Tanzania, Germany, France) involving both novice and expert participants. Four existing global health courses were modified to align learning outcomes with competencies defined by the Consortium of Universities for Global Health and the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. We integrated activities that required in-person and virtual engagement and the use of hands-on activities to reinforce students’ comprehension of design thinking concepts. After receiving obtained institutional review board approval, we piloted the new BMED hybrid exchange with 12 students. The first full cycle is underway, involving 47 CU students in three courses and 9 ATC students in one course. This approach expanded access to a clinically embedded global exchange program in biomedical engineering: 47% (32/68) of students participated in international in-person exchanges, and 53% (36/68) took part in hybrid exchanges. CU and ATC students learned from each other through these exchanges while engaged in activities in healthcare facilities, biomedical research labs, and med-tech companies across South Carolina and abroad.

Authors

Melinda K Harman Clemson University [biography]

Since joining the faculty of Bioengineering at Clemson University, I have actively and enthusiastically contributed to undergraduate and graduate teaching and research. I am part of the core leadership for the Biomedical Engineering Design collaboration involving students at Clemson University in South Carolina and Arusha Technical College in Tanzania. Although new to engineering education research, my interest in improving the educational experience of undergraduate and graduate students in my department has led me to serve as chair of the Assessment Committee since 2017. My prior teaching innovation includes development and leadership of an inter-disciplinary MS degree program in Medical Device Reprocessing that consists of a yearlong, 30 credit hour program (eleven graduate-level courses) emphasizing innovating biomedical technology solutions to address medical device safety and sustainability. The degree is co-offered through the Department of Industrial Engineering and is based on a core curriculum that integrates multi-disciplinary knowledge of healthcare technology assessment from the fields of bioengineering, industrial engineering, human factors engineering, microbiology, and quality science.
Dr. Eliza Gallagher http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9579-8777 Clemson University [biography]

Dr. Gallagher is an Assistant Professor of Engineering and Science Education at Clemson University, with joint appointments to Mathematical Sciences and Education & Human Development. Her research interests include student cognition in mathematics, devel
Dr. D. Matthew Boyer http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4191-260X Clemson University [biography]

Dr. Boyer is a Research Associate Professor in the Department of Engineering and Science Education and an Educational Proposal Writer in the College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences.
Sofia Rodriguez Brewer Clemson University [biography]

Sofia Rodriguez Brewer is a graduate student at Clemson University, pursuing an M.S. in the Department of Bioengineering and a Ph.D. in the Department of Engineering and Science Education (ESED). Sofia earned her B.S. degree in Integrated Sciences from The Pennsylvania State University. Her primary research focuses on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) intervention programs (SIPs) at undergraduate institutions in the United States. Her research interests include mechanisms of student support for vertical transfer, program evaluation, and holistic, bi-directional mentoring practices for graduate students in STEM.
Shannon Conner Clemson University
Rhonda Reigers Powell Clemson University [biography]

Rhonda Reigers Powell is the Research Lab Manager at the Clemson Light Imaging Facility, a core light microscopy facility. She is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Engineering and Science Education, and she is interested in improving light microscopy training. She works as an international collaborator to research, design, and implement online, interactive, professional development workshops and courses for fellow microscopists and technology trainers in order to help them improve the quality of their training.
Dr. John D Desjardins Clemson University [biography]

Dr. DesJardins is an associate professor in Bioengineering at Clemson
University and the director of the Frank H. Stelling and C. Dayton Riddle
Orthopaedic Education and Research Laboratory at CUBEInC. He has coauthored
over 200 peer-reviewed conference o
Dr. Delphine Dean Clemson University [biography]

Dr. Delphine Dean is the Gregg-Graniteville Associate Professor of Bioengineering at Clemson
University. She earned her Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2005 and started her faculty pos
Diego Ramirez Nigoa
Heather Dunn Clemson University
Jeremiah Wesley Carpenter Clemson University
Cora Allard-Keese http://orcid.org/0009-0005-4511-0208 Clemson University
Nicodemus Msafiri Mbwambo

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

« View session

For those interested in:

Academia-Industry Connections
Broadening Participation in Engineering and Engineering Technology
undergraduate