Cross-Disciplinary Service-Learning to Enhance Engineering Identity and Improve Communication Skills

Abstract

-Traditional engineering curricula often do not provide opportunities for students to experience working with non-technical collaborators on real projects. Such interactions may help engineering students develop relevant communication skills. In this study, junior level engineering students collaborated with junior level elementary education students to develop afterschool STEM clubs for elementary children. The study sought to identify the effects of a cross-disciplinary, project-based service-learning experience on: a) the development of a deeper understanding of engineering as a discipline and b) the development of skills necessary to communicate technical information to a non-technical audience. This paper describes the learning outcomes achieved by engaging undergraduate engineering students in cross-disciplinary working relationships. The results suggest that the cross-disciplinary experience affected learning in the knowledge, skills, attitudes and identity of student participants. Student learning was assessed through analysis of questionnaire responses and student reflections. The results also confirmed that simply knowing technical information does not correlate with the ability to communicate that same information. Students reported that they gained experience communicating technical content with non-technical audiences and developed leadership skills. Opportunities to learn communication skills were identified through student comments in course questionnaires and end of the semester focus group discussions.

Community engagement in engineering education: A systematic literature review

“…Student participants report higher course satisfaction, demonstrate higher academic performance and critical thinking skills, and show greater ability to apply their course learning to real-world situations (Bielefeldt & Lima, 2019;Peters, 2011). Community engagement also contributes to students' civic engagement (Celio et al, 2011) and enhanced professional skills such as leadership, teamwork, and cultural competence (Keshwani & Adams, 2017). In addition to project deliverables, the community benefits from increased self-awareness and understanding of science, engineering, and technology (Gouws et al, 2011).…”

“…Engineering students sometimes had difficulty making the connection between their study fields and the community projects. From the 120 articles we reviewed, 13 mentioned students failing to understand the connection between the community engagement activity and course objectives or their technical skills and knowledge (e.g., Bischel & Sundstrom, 2011;Dewoolkar et al, 2009;Keshwani & Adams, 2017). Although this number is small, it is problematic given that service-learning projects purport to meet identified community needs (Bringle & Hatcher, 1995), and any disconnect would compromise such a purpose.…”

“…Frequently reported reasons for this disconnect are as follows: (a) lack of long-term community interactions and effective communication, leading to students being short of local knowledge and expertise (e.g., Brizee, 2015;Glade et al, 2014); and (b) during implementation, the project deviated from its original goal, causing misalignment between curriculum and project, resulting in students not applying as much academic knowledge as expected (Dewoolkar et al, 2009). To gain an understanding of how and what students can credibly contribute to community needs, strong relationships and effective communications between students and community partners are encouraged (Keshwani & Adams, 2017). Students must be equipped with the necessary knowledge, technical skills, and hands-on experience, along with serving on a team with students from different disciplines and cultural backgrounds (Lo et al, 2017).…”

“…The enduring neglect of this important topic in scholarship is reflected in our review: only 14 articles included the perspectives of community partners. Most articles emphasized students' learning outcomes, personal development (Keshwani & Adams, 2017;Wallen & Pandit, 2009), course/project experience, and delivery of solutions or products (Marsolek et al, 2012;J. Seay & Lumkes, 2014), but the community perspective was largely ignored.…”

Soap-Making Process Improvement: Including Social, Cultural and Resource Constraints in the Engineering Design Process

“…Using engineering projects as a means for service learning has a well-known impact on students' academic experience by generating outcomes such as improved context understanding, problem analysis, critical thinking, and cognitive development 22 . STEM service learning projects have been shown to contribute to the development of strong communication skills and a deeper understanding of their field in undergraduate engineering students 23 . These skills are transferable to any engineering career, humanitarian or other.…”