Integrating Mind, Hand, and Heart: How Students Are Transformed by Hands-On Designing and Making

Abstract

Eric is a Ph.D. Candidate in Mechanical Engineering at Stanford University and NSF Graduate Research Fellow conducting multidisciplinary research in global product development and experiential learning. He served two years as a teaching assistant in Stanford's Product Realization Lab. From 2010 to 2016, he worked extensively in Zambia while growing programs and teaching courses at MIT D-Lab. Previously, he was an engineer at Battelle Memorial Institute, researcher at New England Complex Systems Institute, and co-creator of Zimba Water. He holds a M.S. in Mechanical Engineering (2018) from Stanford and B.S. in Mechanical Engineering with honors (2009) from Ohio State University.

Early Engagement and Vertically-Integrated Learning: Developing Whole-Person and Entrepreneurially-Minded Engineers

“…It internalizes experiences and makes the students evaluate how a situation made them feel, engaging the affective side of learning. By reflecting on instances of acting like an engineer in the classroom, the students begin to believe that they can be an engineer, increasing self-concept and solidifying their identity as an engineer (Brubaker et al, 2019;Drewery et al, 2016;Gutierrez et al, 2016). Engaging in reflection early often encourages students to be aware of their goals and adjust accordingly if their goals and experiences are ever misaligned.…”

Student Perceptions of and Learning in Maker Spaces Embedded in Their Undergraduate Engineering Preparation Programs

“…The primary goal of makerspaces in engineering programs is to increase student knowledge of engineering [8], [7], [9]. The general premise is, if undergraduate engineering students engage in makerspaces to complete assignments, they will learn more about the processes of engineering and design [10], [7].…”

Learning through PBL with Emphasis on People, Process, and Product Across Courses

“…[5] captured many approaches for design to be used as pedagogical innovation itself. This can now be extended to encapsulate also what Making and makerspaces provide in support of such educational activities [2,6,7] There is wider adoption of digital and rapid fabrication tools such as 3D printers, as well as additional models for community engagement such as community-based design and co-design in makerspaces [8,9]. By having students focus on solving problems that they themselves care about, or at least identifying a problem that has a person in the middle of the system, there are increased possible opportunities to engage in social justice, and applied ethics [10] in doing engineering work.…”