2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

This GIFTS (Great Ideas for Teaching Students) paper presents an activity that supports first-year engineering students in identifying, applying, and growing their character strengths as part of their professional formation through team-based projects. Engineering education increasingly recognizes that developing technical proficiency alone is insufficient for preparing future engineers to address complex, human-centered challenges [1]. Equally important are the character strengths such as perseverance, curiosity, fairness, and hope, that influence how students engage with problems, collaborate with peers, and persist through setbacks [2]. However, many first-year students enter engineering programs without an explicit framework and context for recognizing and leveraging their personal strengths in learning and teamwork.

At [insert university name here] the School of Engineering’s Character Strengths Initiative supports faculty in embedding character exploration within their courses through shared frameworks and structured resources. Building on this broader effort, the present activity responds to the need for effective practices and offers an adaptable approach that helps students connect character strengths to the processes of engineering design, teamwork, and professional growth.

The proposed model engages students in recognizing character strengths in action, identifying their own strengths, and exploring how these traits develop within teamwork settings. The objectives of this instructional innovation are to (1) increase students’ awareness of their character strengths and how these qualities shape their learning and collaboration behaviors, (2) guide students in intentionally applying their strengths to team-based design projects, and (3) foster a growth mindset through structured reflection on personal and professional development.

This activity consists of three main components. First, students completed the (Values In Action) VIA Character Strengths Survey prior to class to identify their top five strengths, establishing a shared language for character exploration. Concurrently, all students watched the film, “October Sky” to create a common reference point for discussing character strengths in action. During class, guided discussions encouraged students to analyze how character traits influenced decisions and outcomes in the film, and to consider how their own strengths might inform their actions in similar situations. Finally, to reinforce the practice of character exploration within engineering education, students continued reflecting on their strengths throughout team-based design activities, connecting these traits to collaboration, problem-solving, and professional growth.

The assessment uses pre- and post-surveys to capture changes in students’ self-awareness and intentional use of their character strengths. Likert-scale questions measure agreement with statements such as “I can explain how my top strengths influence my learning” and “I intentionally use my strengths in teamwork and project tasks.” Open-ended responses provide qualitative evidence of how students applied their character strengths and which ones they explored or developed further. Preliminary analysis from the beginning-of-semester survey revealed that most students felt able to explain how their top strengths might influence their learning and intended to apply them in project work as well as in other courses. They anticipated a range of situations in which their strengths would be relevant and opportunities for continued growth. The forthcoming end-of-semester survey will examine changes in these perceptions and identify concrete examples of development over time.

This activity illustrates how a narrative-based discussion and structured reflection can cultivate character development alongside technical learning, helping first-year students see themselves as engineers in formation, developing both competence and character. The model provides an approachable, research-informed framework that instructors can readily adapt to foster character exploration and professional identity development in early engineering education.