2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Introducing Bioengineering to Non-Majors: An Active Learning Model for Interdisciplinary STEM Engagement

Presented at Innovations in BME Program and Course Design

Bioengineering is a multidisciplinary field that applies engineering principles to address challenges in medicine and human health. Bioengineering is relevant to multiple majors, specialties, and student interests. An introductory course for honors students outside the bioengineering major at a large, public institution provides an appreciation of the field’s interdisciplinary nature. The course exposes students to topics such as medical imaging, biomaterials, nanotechnology, medical device design, and neural engineering, and insights into campus research facilities and potential career paths. Unlike traditional lecture-based introductory courses, this course experimented with a mix of lecture and active learning classes intentionally designed to promote active engagement, connect students with campus resources, and foster collaboration reflective of bioengineering’s integrative character on our campus and beyond. This paper sets out to understand the value of the active learning components of the course. We used the soft robotics module within the course as a case study to understand the value of active learning in this course. Students provided qualitative and quantitative feedback throughout the course regarding their familiarity with the fields and their perceived applicability to their majors and intention to stay engaged with the field. This paper describes the perceptions of students across our campus who enrolled in this introductory bioengineering course. We examined students’ understanding of (and confidence in) topics and concepts, feedback on the course’s active learning modules, their interest in STEM careers, and their discernment of its relationship to their majors and academic experiences. This course and its outcomes may inform future iterations of this introduction to bioengineering course, outreach events, and multidisciplinary collaborations across campus.

Authors

Prof. Caroline Cvetkovic http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3035-7313 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign [biography]

Caroline Cvetkovic is a Teaching Assistant Professor of Bioengineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she instructs courses in quantitative physiology, biofabrication, and heat transfer. She earned her B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in Bioengineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She then completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Center for Neuroregeneration and Department of Neurosurgery at the Houston Methodist Research Institute.
Prof. Enrique Valera University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign [biography]

Enrique Valera is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Over the past 20 years, his research has focused on biosensor technologies and their applications in clinical diagnostics and food safety. His work includes the development of electrochemical and optical sensing platforms, with particular expertise in multiplexed quantification of human biomarkers, detection of nucleic acid targets and pathogens, and analysis of low molecular weight analytes. Prof. Valera has extensive experience in designing point-of-care diagnostic devices and microfluidic cartridges for clinical applications, including molecular diagnostics and pathogen detection encompassing nucleic acid targets, bacteria, and respiratory and bloodborne viruses.
Enrique received his PhD in Electronic Engineering from Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya.
Mr. Andy Granados University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign [biography]

Andy Granados (he/him) is a second-year undergraduate student studying bioengineering in the Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He studies applications of soft robotics in medical device design and is interested in increasing accessibility in engineering education. Andy plans to pursue graduate school and a career in biomedical research.
Prof. Holly M Golecki http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3691-0420 University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign [biography]

Dr. Holly Golecki (she/her) is a Teaching Associate Professor in Bioengineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Department of Biomedical and Translational Sciences at the Carle-Illinois College of Medicine. Holly studies biomaterials and soft robotics and their applications in the university classroom, in research and in engaging future engineers in human-centered design. Holly received her BS/MS in Materials Science and Engineering from Drexel University and her PhD in Engineering Sciences (Bioengineering) from Harvard University.

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