This work in progress paper reports on research that aims to measure student success in embedded systems upon implementing two educational hardware modules. Extending the research from Establishing Baseline Data on Student Success in Embedded Systems Education, the authors found that current projects within the Electrical and Computer Engineering curriculum at the University of New Haven do not sufficiently engage students, educate on embedded topics, nor inspire curiosity for independent learning. Courses following a traditional theoretical approach to embedded systems education do not leave a strong enough impression on students throughout their courses, nor best prepare students for the challenges of working in industry. To remedy these educational challenges, a novel series of Modular Embedded Tools (METs) has been developed to increase student competency, motivation and interest, level of independent ability to complete project assignments, their connection of embedded systems to other disciplines, and student readiness to solve real-world problems. Each tool has a design function targeting specific aspects of electrical engineering and embedded systems. Accompanying each designed tool are a series of projects to educate on the targeted subject. This paper presents data collected from the 2022-2023 academic year, highlighting the result of administration of new projects utilizing circuit boards named MET1155 and MET2230. Each of these tools focuses on a particular aspect of electrical engineering and embedded systems. MET1155 educates on digital systems concepts and general-purpose input and output manipulation and was implemented in the course titled Digital Systems: Logic Design. MET2230 educates on operational amplifiers and analog-to-digital conversions and was implemented in the course titled Fundamentals of Analog Circuits. Both modules were also introduced in the course titled Embedded Systems: Microcontrollers. The data was collected through surveys and semi-structured interviews administered within those courses. The findings show that utilizing these tools resulted in an increase from the baseline dataset in student motivation, engagement, and ability to problem solve utilizing embedded systems. Resulting from these findings, the data presented has informed the next step of expanding the quantity of tools to cover additional embedded topics.

This work-in-progress research paper emerges from the development of a new Human-Centered Engineering undergraduate degree program in a liberal arts college. As part of a more extensive study, in this paper, we report on the experiences of the inaugural cohort of students in the program. We focus on students' experiences in their first year, emphasizing how they experience the "human-centeredness" of the program and how they experience co-creating the program along with the faculty. We frame our inquiry with the following research questions:RQ1: What is the experience of individuals in the first cohort of a new engineering undergraduate program positioned to be "human-centered"?RQ 2: How do the students co-create the program with faculty?As a team of three researchers, we conducted grounded coding from data collected via semi-structured interviews and focus groups. The students share their experiences of being what one student terms "trailblazers," initiation of their engineering identity formation, and finding human-centered ways to practice engineering and work with their peers. The students also share experiences of feeling included in parts of creating the new program and seeing change happen when they provide feedback. This study contributes to the limited literature on the development of new engineering programs and adds to the discourse on human-centeredness in engineering education.

This Work-In-Progress paper reports on research which aims to establish a baseline assessment on students studying embedded systems to develop a series of educational hardware modules capable of inspiring student engagement and facilitating applied engineering education. The goal of the proposed modules is to significantly increase embedded systems competency and produce high-quality engineers capable of developing complex systems upon entering the work force. Students struggle to learn embedded systems, connect embedded topics between courses, and apply those topics to real-world applications, thus facilitating a need for Modular Embedded Tools (METs) integrated within an electrical and computer engineering curriculum. Current projects within the curriculum do not sufficiently engage students, educate on embedded topics, nor inspire curiosity for independent learning. Courses covering embedded systems, including Introduction to Engineering, Digital Systems: Logic Design, Fundamentals of Analog Circuits, Digital Systems: Hardware Programming, Embedded Systems: Microcontrollers, Embedded Systems: System On A Chip, Junior Design, and Senior Design have been targeted for study. An understanding of the current level of student engagement with present-day curriculum projects must be established to aid in the development of the METs system. This paper presents data collected from AY2022 detailing the current level of student competency, motivation and interest, level of independent ability to complete project assignments, the connection of embedded systems to other disciplines, and student readiness to solve real-world problems. The data was collected through a survey and semi-structured interview conducted with current and former students in embedded systems. The findings support the need for new educational tools capable of enhancing the student experience in embedded systems to increase engagement, inspire curiosity, and ultimately prepare students in a modern, more efficient way. Resulting from these findings, data presented has informed the next step of researching a preliminary design of such tools.

This full paper describes three approaches taken by the University of New Haven to support and train faculty to integrate the makerspace into their course content. As one way to promote hands-on learning with engineering students, many faculty and staff support the integration of makerspaces into higher education classrooms. Encouraging students to use a makerspace can result in an increase in informal learning opportunities, additional support for prototyping efforts for project-based learning, increased self-efficacy, and an enhanced sense of community and belonging. As makerspaces are relatively new in academic settings, many faculty are unfamiliar with the capabilities of the equipment in these spaces and may be unlikely to adopt usage of the tools into their courses. With many of the maker technologies not used by faculty during their own studies or career development, additional training opportunities are needed to provide faculty an opportunity to develop their own mastery of both the new technology and specific classroom pedagogy related to “making.” Faculty training for makerspaces is more than just professional development on new technical content. For a successful integration into the classroom, faculty members should consider relevant pedagogy, time considerations, budget constraints, equipment limitations, and the added-value of the maker element to the traditional classroom content. This study profiles three different types of faculty development makerspace training efforts: self-guided exploration by enrolling faculty as members of a community makerspace, pedagogy-focused workshops, and hands-on equipment training sessions. The first effort provided 20 faculty members access to MakeHaven, located in downtown New Haven, CT. With this membership came access to training, mentors, workshops, and a supportive community. To engage with the equipment and resources, faculty were encouraged to work on projects of their own interests and for their own purposes. As their projects were individually different, they needed to seek out the assistance of the expert user; in doing so, they learn by doing, by trying it out and revising. A second effort brought in an external speaker to host a mini-workshop for approximately 18 faculty. The speaker introduced the pedagogy for incorporating makerspaces into curriculum efforts and provided practical examples of incorporation across majors. Participants completed a brainstorming and planning exercise to identify a course and maker-project for implementation. The third effort provided 10 faculty and staff the opportunity to participate in workshops specifically targeted to introduce faculty to the University of New Haven makerspace equipment. Faculty and staff learned about the equipment and its manufacturing capabilities, discussed tips for classroom integration, and then designed and created a product of their own using the equipment. Post-event surveys were completed after each effort to highlight strengths, weaknesses, and future plans. Follow up surveys and interviews were conducted from selected participants of each training type to gather information on the classroom implementation, faculty knowledge gaps, and student successes. These results are analyzed to provide specific recommendations for the most effective methods of makerspace faculty training with the purpose of classroom integration.