An Active Learning Approach for Applying STEAMeD-based Education in Engineering Programs

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3991/ijep.v13i3.34819

Keywords:

STEM/STEAM/STEAMD/STEAMeD-based Education, Active Learning Approach, Engineering Education, ABET Accreditation, Liberal Arts in Engineering

Abstract


Applying STEM-based education in engineering programs using various active learning approaches has been shown to improve the quality of the learning process. This paper investigates further enhancements to the existing techniques via adding more emphasis on the learning components that are specific to Art, entrepreneurship, and Design. Different opportunities to apply the STEAMeD-based education in various engineering programs, which are delivered by liberal arts institutions, will be explored. The integration of the new emphases is demonstrated to resonate very well with satisfying the seven students’ outcomes that are dictated by ABET accreditation. The specific role of the augmented art component in promoting creativity, aesthetic appreciation, and better reasoning skills, is illustrated via different examples of simulation-based experiments and virtual modeling techniques. The entrepreneurship component of the engineering curricula is shown to better prepare the students for the challenging future via empowering them with better analytical skills, practical ingenuity, business-oriented communications, and adaptability to technological innovation, in an efficient way. It also overlaps with the requirements of the graduation design project that all students consider as the capstone of their engineering curricula. Adopting a project-based learning approach in many courses, at different levels in the curricula, proved to be very efficient, as verified by the many case studies illustrated in this paper. Tying the attributes of the STEAMeD-based education to the courses’ contents, with clear description of the learning outcomes, will be demonstrated. Also, addressing novel pedagogical approaches to better equip the students for their careers is considered. Finally, a comprehensive discussion and a conclusion is given to highlight possible extensions to the proposed techniques.

Author Biographies

G. Amjad Hussain, American University of Kuwait

Ghulam Amjad Hussain is an Associate Professor at the American University of Kuwait, Kuwait where he is involved in teaching and research. Previously he has worked as a Senior R&D Engineer-Power Systems Technologies at EATON European Innovation Centre (EEIC), Prague, Czech Republic. He received the bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore, Pakistan, in 2007, and the master's and the Ph.D. from Aalto University, School of Electrical Engineering, Finland, in 2012 and 2016 respectively. He has authored/ co-authored more than 50 articles in international journals and conferences and has one patent. His research expertise and interests include high voltage engineering, power system protection and control in modern smart grids and power systems.

Hanan Altabbakh

Hanan Altabbakh is an Assistant Professor in Engineering Management, with focus on risk assessment and accident causation. She is an experienced industrial engineer with a demonstrated history of working in the design industry. She is skilled in Industrial Engineering, Lean Six Sigma, Kaizen, and Business Process Improvement. She is a strong professional with a Graduate Certificate focused in Lean Six Sigma, project management, and human system integration from Missouri University of Science and Technology, MO, USA. She taught many courses at the undergraduate level (engineering economy, entrepreneurship, industrial safety), while working at the American University of Kuwait (AUK). Before joining AUK, she was the Assistant Program Manager for the Math and Science Education at Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS). She has many and professional memberships.

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Published

2023-04-27

How to Cite

Zaher, A. A., Hussain, G. A., & Altabbakh, H. (2023). An Active Learning Approach for Applying STEAMeD-based Education in Engineering Programs. International Journal of Engineering Pedagogy (iJEP), 13(3), pp. 4–26. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijep.v13i3.34819

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Section

Papers