2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

This full evidence-based practice paper shares the innovative practices that have evolved through the first ten years of a new engineering program. In particular, the values-infused instruction, engineering classes in every semester, and industry focus create industry-ready students with strong engineering identities.
Background This university is an undergraduate-focused, Baptist-heritage, liberal arts school of opportunity that serves its local rural community in the shadow of a large institution with a well-known engineering program. Ten years ago, a School of Engineering was started to diversify offerings and meet the needs of the local manufacturing and pharmaceutical industry as well as rural students who were otherwise unable to access an engineering degree. The program’s philosophy has been to focus on evidence-based best practices in engineering to offer opportunities to underserved populations, including rural, first-generation, and mathematically underprepared students. Hands-on active learning, whole-engineer instruction through the incorporation of explicit values and professional development, and building a strong community to promote engineering identity development are at the core of what is offered. These offerings promote success for all students, particularly underprepared and underrepresented students. The curriculum has been infused with experiential learning opportunities, leveraging best practices to create industry-ready students that are highly sought after by employers.
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to share the development of the School of Engineering during its first ten years in a small, rural, teaching-focused liberal arts institution.
Methodology/Approach This paper is a retrospective case study looking at the development of the engineering program across its first ten years. This paper primarily presents findings based on first-person perspectives of the faculty authors, documents from meetings, institutional data, artifacts, and social media and press releases.
Findings/Conclusions Hands-on projects support student learning and have evolved over the years based on student feedback and evaluations. The current curriculum features hands-on projects across the years, with later classes building upon the skills learned in prerequisite courses. The evolution of these methods has supported the School of Engineering student population, graduating high-quality students who are well prepared for their future careers.
Implications A high-quality hands-on education should be continuously evolving to provide quality education for all students. Infusing active learning throughout the curriculum, focusing on the whole engineer through the inclusion of values instruction, and offering cocurricular support from professional development to competition teams and social events can promote industry-ready students. Even new programs that have been designed with best practices in mind can benefit from continuous improvement to better serve their students, future employers, and community.