Designing Project-Based Learning (PBL) Units Using Culturally Relevant Pedagogy to Develop Engineering Learners' Critical Consciousness in a Statics and Dynamics Class
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| Title: | Designing Project-Based Learning (PBL) Units Using Culturally Relevant Pedagogy to Develop Engineering Learners' Critical Consciousness in a Statics and Dynamics Class |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Daniel I. Castaneda, Joi D. Merritt, Joel A. Mejia |
| Source: | Advances in Engineering Education. 2025 13(3):69-99. |
| Availability: | American Society for Engineering Education. 1818 N Street NW, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 412-624-6815; Fax: 412-624-1108; Web site: http://advances.asee.org |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 31 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Sponsoring Agency: | National Science Foundation (NSF) |
| Contract Number: | 2024466 |
| Intended Audience: | Teachers |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Engineering Education, Student Projects, Active Learning, Culturally Relevant Education, Skill Development, Student Attitudes, Consciousness Raising, Social Justice, Introductory Courses, Program Effectiveness, Undergraduate Students |
| ISSN: | 1941-1766 |
| Abstract: | Engineering learners must develop skills to design holistic solutions that take competing and complex economic, environmental, and social factors into account. Yet, these skills are not simply cognitive in nature. To develop holistic solutions, engineering learners must develop their affective attitudes so that they can gain an awareness of inequities and injustices in the world so they can then envision themselves as future agents of change with the capability to upend those injustices through their engineering efforts. Put simply, they must develop their critical consciousness to prevent becoming future engineers who inadvertently worsen existing systemic inequities. This paper summarizes the instructional design strategy, assessment, and overall effectiveness of two project-based learning (PBL) units used in a 16-week-long, introductory engineering mechanics class -- statics and dynamics. The successive PBL units were designed using principles in backwards-centered design and culturally relevant pedagogy such that small teams of engineering learners could share, negotiate, and critically evaluate their engineering problem solving efforts in response to real-world, ill-structured scenarios. Learner's reflective writings were thematically analyzed at two points in time to assess in qualitative form the development of their critical consciousness in relation to an a priori 4-level scale for critical consciousness. The results indicate that the instructional design promoted approximately a third of the class to express higher forms of critical consciousness. Notably, the second PBL unit was described by the learners as being more conducive to their critical consciousness development because the scenario was viewed to be more "wicked" than the first PBL unit. The findings in this paper are valuable for engineering educators seeking to advance curricular interventions that positively shape learners' affective attitudes and have the potential to be adapted and explored in many other engineering mechanics classrooms and institutional contexts. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2025 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1487180 |
| Database: | ERIC |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Designing Project-Based Learning (PBL) Units Using Culturally Relevant Pedagogy to Develop Engineering Learners' Critical Consciousness in a Statics and Dynamics Class – Name: Language Label: Language Group: Lang Data: English – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Daniel+I%2E+Castaneda%22">Daniel I. Castaneda</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Joi+D%2E+Merritt%22">Joi D. Merritt</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Joel+A%2E+Mejia%22">Joel A. Mejia</searchLink> – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Advances+in+Engineering+Education%22"><i>Advances in Engineering Education</i></searchLink>. 2025 13(3):69-99. – Name: Avail Label: Availability Group: Avail Data: American Society for Engineering Education. 1818 N Street NW, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 412-624-6815; Fax: 412-624-1108; Web site: http://advances.asee.org – Name: PeerReviewed Label: Peer Reviewed Group: SrcInfo Data: Y – Name: Pages Label: Page Count Group: Src Data: 31 – Name: DatePubCY Label: Publication Date Group: Date Data: 2025 – Name: SourceSuprt Label: Sponsoring Agency Group: SrcSuprt Data: National Science Foundation (NSF) – Name: NumberContract Label: Contract Number Group: NumCntrct Data: 2024466 – Name: Audience Label: Intended Audience Group: Audnce Data: Teachers – Name: TypeDocument Label: Document Type Group: TypDoc Data: Journal Articles<br />Reports - Research – Name: Audience Label: Education Level Group: Audnce Data: <searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Higher+Education%22">Higher Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Postsecondary+Education%22">Postsecondary Education</searchLink> – Name: Subject Label: Descriptors Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Engineering+Education%22">Engineering Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Student+Projects%22">Student Projects</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Active+Learning%22">Active Learning</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Culturally+Relevant+Education%22">Culturally Relevant Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Skill+Development%22">Skill Development</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Student+Attitudes%22">Student Attitudes</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Consciousness+Raising%22">Consciousness Raising</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Social+Justice%22">Social Justice</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Introductory+Courses%22">Introductory Courses</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Program+Effectiveness%22">Program Effectiveness</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Undergraduate+Students%22">Undergraduate Students</searchLink> – Name: ISSN Label: ISSN Group: ISSN Data: 1941-1766 – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: Engineering learners must develop skills to design holistic solutions that take competing and complex economic, environmental, and social factors into account. Yet, these skills are not simply cognitive in nature. To develop holistic solutions, engineering learners must develop their affective attitudes so that they can gain an awareness of inequities and injustices in the world so they can then envision themselves as future agents of change with the capability to upend those injustices through their engineering efforts. Put simply, they must develop their critical consciousness to prevent becoming future engineers who inadvertently worsen existing systemic inequities. This paper summarizes the instructional design strategy, assessment, and overall effectiveness of two project-based learning (PBL) units used in a 16-week-long, introductory engineering mechanics class -- statics and dynamics. The successive PBL units were designed using principles in backwards-centered design and culturally relevant pedagogy such that small teams of engineering learners could share, negotiate, and critically evaluate their engineering problem solving efforts in response to real-world, ill-structured scenarios. Learner's reflective writings were thematically analyzed at two points in time to assess in qualitative form the development of their critical consciousness in relation to an a priori 4-level scale for critical consciousness. The results indicate that the instructional design promoted approximately a third of the class to express higher forms of critical consciousness. Notably, the second PBL unit was described by the learners as being more conducive to their critical consciousness development because the scenario was viewed to be more "wicked" than the first PBL unit. The findings in this paper are valuable for engineering educators seeking to advance curricular interventions that positively shape learners' affective attitudes and have the potential to be adapted and explored in many other engineering mechanics classrooms and institutional contexts. – Name: AbstractInfo Label: Abstractor Group: Ab Data: As Provided – Name: DateEntry Label: Entry Date Group: Date Data: 2025 – Name: AN Label: Accession Number Group: ID Data: EJ1487180 |
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| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Languages: – Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 31 StartPage: 69 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Engineering Education Type: general – SubjectFull: Student Projects Type: general – SubjectFull: Active Learning Type: general – SubjectFull: Culturally Relevant Education Type: general – SubjectFull: Skill Development Type: general – SubjectFull: Student Attitudes Type: general – SubjectFull: Consciousness Raising Type: general – SubjectFull: Social Justice Type: general – SubjectFull: Introductory Courses Type: general – SubjectFull: Program Effectiveness Type: general – SubjectFull: Undergraduate Students Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Designing Project-Based Learning (PBL) Units Using Culturally Relevant Pedagogy to Develop Engineering Learners' Critical Consciousness in a Statics and Dynamics Class Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Daniel I. Castaneda – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Joi D. Merritt – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Joel A. Mejia IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 01 Type: published Y: 2025 Identifiers: – Type: issn-electronic Value: 1941-1766 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 13 – Type: issue Value: 3 Titles: – TitleFull: Advances in Engineering Education Type: main |
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