Increasing gender diversity in engineering using soft robotics

Jackson, Andrew; Mentzer, Nathan; Kramer‐Bottiglio, Rebecca

doi:10.1002/jee.20378

Cited by 26 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 80 publications

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“…15 Results such as these indicate that programs cultivating engineering interest should be introduced early in students' lives to ensure engagement, increase capacity, and provide continuity. 39 The current study aims to understand how exposure to diverse role models and work-based microbadging in middle school influences student mindsets toward pursuing a STEM career. The questions posed by the Couragion app during the student-led journey were informed by the model of participation in STEM activities presented by Weber and based on the Engagement, Capacity, and Continuity (ECC) Trilogy established by Jolly et al in 2004.…”

Section: Exposure To Role Modelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating How Exposure to Scientific Role Models and Work-Based Microbadging Influences STEM Career Mindsets in Underrepresented Groups

Davis-Hall

Farrelly²,

Risteff³

et al. 2023

Biomed Eng Education

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Underrepresentation of female students and specific racial/ethnic groups persists in STEM despite decades of intervention. Evidence suggests a need to encourage interest in STEM fields at the middle-school level. Adolescent career aspirations are influenced by exposure to role models and mindsets, such as a sense of perceived personal capacity. The purpose of this study was to measure how exposure to role models and work-based microbadging affects students' mindsets related to pursuit of STEM careers. Middle school students rated their intent to pursue a STEM career before and after completing a series of Quest-Challenge pairs featuring role models, including a biomedical engineer, in the Couragion application, along with their confidence, motivation, and enjoyment through in-app surveys. Data from students in well-represented and underrepresented STEM demographics were compared. Intent to pursue a STEM career increased after Couragion app intervention. Divided into demographic groups, increases were observed in students from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups and female students. Students reported increased confidence, motivation, and enjoyment after interacting with the app. Additionally, students reported confidence in STEM career success and motivation to apply themselves academically. This study showed increased intent, confidence, motivation, and enjoyment in middle school students related to STEM careers. The Couragion app intervention effectively improved metrics that inform students' future academic and professional decisions. Widely implementing this type of intervention during middle school could help narrow the representation gap in STEM fields.

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Section: Exposure To Role Modelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating How Exposure to Scientific Role Models and Work-Based Microbadging Influences STEM Career Mindsets in Underrepresented Groups

Davis-Hall

Farrelly²,

Risteff³

et al. 2023

Biomed Eng Education

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“…Hands-on: the participants have a hands-on workshop to fabricate a system using the technology [52], [53], [59]. R&D: the authors present the results of R&D on new manufacturing processes or technologies that can foster the application of SAMs in education [57], [58], [60].…”

Section: B Search Strategymentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimenting With Soft Robotics in Education: A Systematic Literature Review From 2006 to 2022

Cayetano-Jiménez,

Martinez-Ríos,

Bustamante-Bello

et al. 2024

IEEE Trans. Learning Technol.

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Educational robotics (ER) is a discipline of applied robotics focused on teaching robot design, analysis, application, and operation. Traditionally, ER has favored rigid robots, overlooking the potential of soft robots (SRs). While rigid robots offer insights into dynamics, kinematics, and control, they have limitations in exploring the depths of mechanical design and material properties. In this regard, SRs present an opportunity to expand educational topics and activities in robotics through their unique bioinspired properties and accessibility. Despite their promise, there is a notable lack of research on SRs as educational tools, limiting the identification of research avenues that could promote their adoption in educational settings. This study conducts a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) to elucidate the impact of SRs across academic levels, pedagogical strategies, prevalent artificial muscles, educational activities, and assessment methods. The findings indicate a significant focus on K-12 workshops utilizing soft pneumatic actuators. Furthermore, SRs have fostered the development of fabrication and mechanical design skills beyond mere programming tasks. However, there is a shortage of studies analyzing their use in higher education or their impact on learning outcomes, suggesting a critical need for comprehensive evaluations to determine their effectiveness, rather than solely relying on surveys for student feedback. Thus, there is an opportunity to explore and evaluate the use of SRs in more advanced settings and multidisciplinary activities, urging for rigorous assessments of their influence on learning outcomes. By undertaking this, we aim to provide a foundation for integrating SRs into the educational robotics curriculum, potentially transforming teaching methodologies and enriching students' learning experiences.

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“…Jackson et al ( 2021 ) explored the integration of a unit on soft robotics and engineering design within biomedical applications in a PreK-12 setting and found a significant increase in female students’ perceptions of engineering and its processes in comparison to a rigid robotics unit. This is one example of many standards-aligned biomedical engineering curricula that schools are currently implementing, which provide students with opportunities to integrate biomedical and engineering concepts as they design and optimize their solutions to solve authentic problems.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Examining Science and Technology/Engineering Educators’ Views of Teaching Biomedical Concepts Through Physical Computing

Love

Cysyk²,

Attaluri³

et al. 2022

J Sci Educ Technol

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Programming and automation continue to evolve rapidly and advance the capabilities of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. However, physical computing (the integration of programming and interactive physical devices) integrated within biomedical contexts remains an area of limited focus in secondary STEM education programs. As this is an emerging area, many educators may not be well prepared to teach physical computing concepts within authentic biomedical contexts. This shortcoming provided the rationale for this study, to examine if professional development (PD) had a noticeable influence on high school science and technology and engineering (T&E) teachers’ (1) perceptions of teaching biomedical and computational thinking (CT) concepts and (2) plans to integrate physical computing within the context of authentic biomedical engineering challenges. The findings revealed a significant difference in the amount of biomedical and CT concepts that teachers planned to implement as a result of the PD. Using a modified version of the Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument (STEBI-A) Riggs and Enochs in Science Education, 74 (6), 625–637 ( 1990 ), analyses revealed significant gains in teachers’ self-efficacy toward teaching both biomedical and CT concepts from the PD. Further analyses revealed that teachers reported increases in their perceived knowledge of biomedical and CT concepts and a significant increase in their intent to collaborate with a science or T&E educator outside of their content area. This study provides implications for researchers and educators to integrate more biomedical and physical computing instruction at the secondary education level.

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Increasing gender diversity in engineering using soft robotics

Cited by 26 publications

References 80 publications

Evaluating How Exposure to Scientific Role Models and Work-Based Microbadging Influences STEM Career Mindsets in Underrepresented Groups

Evaluating How Exposure to Scientific Role Models and Work-Based Microbadging Influences STEM Career Mindsets in Underrepresented Groups

Experimenting With Soft Robotics in Education: A Systematic Literature Review From 2006 to 2022

Examining Science and Technology/Engineering Educators’ Views of Teaching Biomedical Concepts Through Physical Computing

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