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Abstract: Mental health challenges have been rising across college campuses. To destigmatize wellness practices and promote student mental health, we present a novel technical project in an introductory bioengineering course that explores stress management techniques through physiology, biosensors, and design. We hypothesize that if students measure objective, physiologic impacts of stress management techniques on themselves, they may be more likely to realize the benefits and use those techniques when needed. Additionally, through this data-driven project, we aim to appeal to engineers’ critical thinking nature. To support students in selecting stress management techniques for themselves, mindfulness is introduced and practiced in the course. Initial student feedback on the introduction of mindfulness into the classroom is positive. The COVID-19 pandemic has emphasized the need to focus on student wellbeing in addition to physical health. Integration of wellness into the core curriculum can normalize the use of these resources within engineering departments and colleges and equip students with stress management tools for their careers. Ultimately, this curricular development lays the groundwork for institutional enhancement of undergraduate STEM education by supporting student wellness through the engineering curriculum. PubDate: 2022-01-03
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Abstract: A common perception of biomedical engineering (BME) undergraduates is that they struggle to find industry jobs upon graduation. While some statistics support this concern, students continue to pursue and persist through BME degrees. This persistence may relate to graduates’ other career interests, though limited research examines where BME students go and why. Scholars are also pushing for research that examines engineering careers in a broader context, beyond traditional industry positions. This study adds to that conversation by asking: How do BME students describe their career interests and perceived job prospects in relation to why they pursue a BME degree' A qualitative study of BME students was performed at a public, R1 institution using semi-structured interviews at three timepoints across an academic year. An open coding data analysis approach explored careerperceptions of students nearing completion of a BME undergraduate degree. Findings indicated that students pursued a BME degree for reasons beyond BME career aspirations, most interestingly as a means to complete an engineering degree that they felt would have interesting enough content to keep them engaged. Participants also discussed the unique career-relevant skills they developed as a BME student, and the career-placement tradeoffs they associated with getting a BME undergraduate degree. Based on these results, we propose research that explores how students move through a BME degree into a career and how career-relevant competencies are communicated in job searches. Additionally, we suggest strategies for BME departments to consider for supporting students through the degree into a career. PubDate: 2021-10-28
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Abstract: There are increasing calls for the use of research-based teaching strategies to improve engagement and learning in engineering. In this innovation paper, we detail the application of research-based teaching strategies in a computer programming focused biomedical engineering module. This four-week, one-credit undergraduate biomedical engineering (BME) programming-based image processing module consisted of a blend of lectures, active learning exercises, guided labs, and a final project. Students completed surveys and generated concept maps at three time points in the module (pre, mid, and post) to document the impact of integrating research-based teaching strategies. Students demonstrated a significant (p < 0.05) increase in conceptual knowledge, confidence with material, and belief in the usefulness of material from the beginning to end of the module. Students also had high (> 4 out of 5) perceptions of gains in knowledge and attitudes toward instructor support. Overall, the novel design utilized multiple research-based pedagogies and increased students’ conceptual knowledge, self-efficacy, and perceived usefulness of material. The proposed design is an example of how multiple research-based instructional strategies can be integrated into an undergraduate biomedical engineering course. PubDate: 2021-10-26
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Please help us test our new pre-print finding feature by giving the pre-print link a rating. A 5 star rating indicates the linked pre-print has the exact same content as the published article.
Abstract: Hands-on experiences in biomechanics and biomaterials courses are an important part of biomedical engineering education. Curricula of those courses often include laboratory modules on material testing and characterization. Unfortunately, large and expensive mechanical testing equipment may not be available to all students, thus limiting students’ access to actual hands-on experience. Here, we introduce an open, accessible, and affordable mechanical test device that ensures that every student gets their hands on test equipment and a test specimen. In fact, the device has a small form factor, is inexpensive, and can therefore be taken home. The device is built with low-cost components and 3D-printed parts for a total cost of less than $45. The device also makes use of each student’s cell phone camera for optical strain measurements, thereby avoiding the need for expensive imaging equipment. In addition to the device, we also introduce a rich set of supplementary materials that make adoption and application by educators and students as easy as possible. A first experience in a 20-student biomedical engineering technical elective class has demonstrated ease of use and anecdotally confirms the device and material’s usefulness in practical teaching. However, more formal evaluation is needed to demonstrate that our test device and materials enhance laboratory teaching. PubDate: 2021-09-13
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Abstract: Teaching labs at the undergraduate level poses unique challenges to a school system forced online by COVID-19. We adapted physiology laboratories typically taught in-person to an online-only format, allowing students to measure personal health data alone. Students used available technology and low-cost devices for measuring respiratory and cardiovascular parameters and analyzed the data for differences in testing conditions such as posture and exertion. Students did not physically interact, which encouraged self-directed learning but disallowed peer-to-peer education. Pre-recorded data was utilized for ECG measurements, which streamlined the process but precluded the interactive act of experimentation. The use of low-cost devices empowered and encouraged students to take ownership of their health and form important connections between their own lives and theoretical physiology. Facilitating communication and TA preparedness is key to smoothly running the virtual lab. It will be important for future virtual labs to be designed to facilitate student interaction, include hands-on experimentation, and encourage personal investigation. PubDate: 2021-07-21
Please help us test our new pre-print finding feature by giving the pre-print link a rating. A 5 star rating indicates the linked pre-print has the exact same content as the published article.
Please help us test our new pre-print finding feature by giving the pre-print link a rating. A 5 star rating indicates the linked pre-print has the exact same content as the published article.
Please help us test our new pre-print finding feature by giving the pre-print link a rating. A 5 star rating indicates the linked pre-print has the exact same content as the published article.
Please help us test our new pre-print finding feature by giving the pre-print link a rating. A 5 star rating indicates the linked pre-print has the exact same content as the published article.
Abstract: In the 1990s, interest in biomedical technologies blossomed among students across disciplines. In parallel, there was a push in academia to develop courses enabling interdisciplinary problem solving and more holistic, practice-oriented education. In response, Stanford Biodesign created a graduate course in biomedical technology innovation. Seventeen years later, we sought to gauge the impact of this course on student commitment to careers in biomedical technology, whether students took on leadership and innovation roles, and if they found the holistic innovation process we teach to be useful in their careers. We disseminated a web-based survey to collect self-reported data from students completing the course between 2003 and 2019. 186 students responded (24.8%). 62% (n = 115/186) reported a strong commitment to careers in biomedical technology before the course while 84% (n = 156/186) felt that way after. The improvement in mean scores from pre-course (3.8) to post-course (4.3) was statistically significant (p < 0.0001). Additionally, 78% (n = 145/186) currently work in healthcare, with 72% of those (n = 115/145) in biomedical technology. 82% (n = 146/179) were in innovation roles and 58% (n = 102/177) were in leadership positions. Nearly 94% (n = 161/172) found the course influential and the process to be useful in their careers. The data suggest that the course is perceived as valuable and is effective at creating and/or sustaining student interest in biomedical technology innovation. The results point to multiple improvement opportunities that are important for keeping the course relevant. PubDate: 2021-07-01
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Please help us test our new pre-print finding feature by giving the pre-print link a rating. A 5 star rating indicates the linked pre-print has the exact same content as the published article.
Abstract: Engineering design courses are particularly challenging to deliver in online or distance modalities because of the hands-on, collaborative nature of the design process and the need for physical resources and work spaces. In this work, we describe how we rapidly transformed two design courses in the middle two years of the biomedical engineering (BME) program to an online format during the 2019 coronavirus pandemic. In addition to time and safety constraints, we identified access to design spaces with biochemistry, computing, electronic, computing, and manufacturing tools, and team-based learning as major challenges to distance learning in BME design courses. To this end, we mapped and translated various course and design activities to an online environment using a combination of customized at-home laboratory kits and distributed team structures. Drawing upon our pilot experience as well as principles from online and adult learning theories, we offer an overview of strategies to retain hands-on and team-based activities and rapidly implement BME design courses in online or distance modalities. PubDate: 2021-07-01
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Abstract: Current educational presentation software used in STEM education fail to maximize student engagement and comprehension. Mixed reality presentation is one specific type of digital presentation software that has shown to significantly improve student engagement and comprehension. In this paper, we describe a pilot study on adult scientists which evaluates the usage of an integrated mixed reality presentation software in the Zyndo platform as an enhanced alternative to Adobe PDFs. A group of adult scientists (N = 20), with higher education of at least a bachelor’s degree, from an academic research center at Harvard Medical School were randomized and asked to read two articles (one on Immunology and the other on Bioengineering) presented through either the mixed reality presentation or PDFs. Our results indicate that participants improved in nearly all metrics for engagement (ranging from + 4 to 51% improvement depending on engagement metric and subject matter) when viewing the mixed reality presentation over the traditional PDFs for both articles. Specifically, the participants demonstrated improved comprehension of the scientific content and time spent viewing the presentation in a content-dependent manner. Therefore, 3D mixed reality environments can potentially be applied to enhance student learning in STEM fields, particularly Biomedical Engineering in both on-line and in person classroom settings. PubDate: 2021-07-01
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Abstract: A novel pre-doctoral program is presented that combines (1) immersive observation in the surgical/interventional theatre and (2) thought-provoking exposition activities focused on answering clinically provocative questions. While the long-term goal is to train engineers to conduct clinical translational research in human systems, in this paper, perceived trainee improvements are assessed in: (1) their ability to pose important questions in surgery and intervention, (2) their knowledge of surgical technologies, and (3) their understanding of procedural medicine. The program combines constructivist and constructionist learning approaches through a dual-course suite consisting of: (1) a scaffold lecture design with ten physicians presenting their procedural specialties interleaved with lectures relating engineering principles, and (2) a second course with clinically mentored immersion experiences in the operating room/interventional suite, clinical conferences, and patient rounds. Details of the complementing technical core and learning environment are also provided. Preliminary data reports on the quantitative experiential clinical involvement and on a self-reported survey over 5 cohorts of trainees (n = 18). With respect to immersion, the average surgeries/interventions observed, number of different types, and clinical contact time per student was on average 15.6 ± 7.9 surgeries/interventions, 8.2 ± 3.6 types, and 48.2 ± 14.7 contact hours, respectively. With respect to trainee understanding of procedural medicine, surgical technologies, and value of clinical observation, an average perceived improvement of 41%, 38%, and 41% over the course series was detected, respectively (p < 0.001). Equally impressive, when rating ability to pose important questions affecting human health, an average perceived improvement of 34% was detected (p < 0.001). The preliminary realization of a novel pre-doctoral clinically immersive training program for engineering trainees is described and demonstrates extensive levels of clinical contact and strong evidence that the provided immersion experiences result in significant improvements in understanding of procedural medicine. PubDate: 2021-07-01
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Abstract: The teaching tip described here relates to a department level initiative to gather and act on student experiences in real-time during the COVID-19 outbreak in the Spring 2020 semester. The survey was developed to be an ongoing, department level, data collection source that could capture, triage, and react to student’s unique situations as they arose. This enabled us to coordinate across courses, follow-up and provide students and instructors assistance in real time, and also gather information that informed decision making for our summer online courses as well as our planning for the fall. In this teaching tips article we describe the opportunities and processes for using such a survey to identify and capture aspects of the students’ lived experience that influences the effectiveness of curricular change. Doing so fills a need, especially when unexpected changes in learning environments are required, to employ concepts of learner analysis to understand and plan educational experiences for students, even when such experiences are in flux or the concepts are used informally. PubDate: 2021-07-01
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Abstract: Although there is increasing literature on blind and visually impaired students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), there is a prevalent gap in the literature regarding STEM educators who are blind or visually impaired. This account aims to partially fill this gap by presenting the methodology and implementation of teaching by Dr. Mona Minkara, a blind bioengineering professor, as well as the tangible outcomes of this approach. We discuss the efforts taken by Dr. Minkara and a team of access assistants to develop accessible methods for teaching a largely visual course, including the use of assistive technologies, such as alternative text, braille, and text-to-speech software. Outside perspectives from teaching assistants, access assistants, and students are also discussed. Student feedback was collected in an end-of-term survey and analyzed to obtain quantitative and qualitative data. Evidenced by student feedback on their experience, we demonstrate that Dr. Minkara's visual impairment altered student perceptions about blindness in education and led to a more interactive and engaging learning environment for her students. This evidence also shows that students were overwhelmingly in support of more blind educators in STEM. We present this account and share our developing toolbox to demonstrate that a career in higher education can (and should) be accessible if given the right modifications. Efforts aimed at broadening the participation of blind and visually impaired individuals in STEM education can continue to alter student perceptions and lead to enhanced learning environments, as well as encourage instructors to increase the accessibility of their own teaching. PubDate: 2021-07-01
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Abstract: In this paper we designed a STEM outreach program with a modular tissue engineering education tool (we refer to as “modular cyclic-stretch device”) to engage high school students in STEM hands-on activities. Using simple machines such as gears and rotating cams, students were able to build a custom device to apply cyclic stretch to biomaterials. With the help of this hands-on activity, our outreach program helped students grasp tendon tissue biomechanics and understand the importance of applying biomechanical force to regenerate tendon tissue in a laboratory setting. The two-day outreach program comprised: 1. pre- and post-tests; 2. lectures; 3. laboratory sessions, including the microscopic examination of stained tissue sections and a hands-on group activity employing the modular cyclic-stretch device; and 4. homework. Assessment results suggest that our program supports improved student awareness and interest in tissue engineering as a future profession. The program elevated students’ confidence in their ability to apply engineering principles to tasks such as building a modular cyclic-stretch device and measuring the mechanical properties of biological tissues. Building an educational bioreactor improved students’ understanding of the dynamic nature of the human body and the importance of tissue engineering as an emerging discipline towards replacing or regenerating damaged organs. We propose that our modular device has great outreach potential to introduce tissue engineering concepts to high school and potentially college freshmen engineering students. PubDate: 2021-06-10
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Abstract: With a motivation to immerse students in engineering design, graphics communication, and computer aided design (CAD) skills early-on in the biomedical engineering curriculum, we launched a new 2-unit laboratory course on “Graphics Design in BME” in the Spring 2020 quarter for UC Davis sophomores. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the course met with the significant challenge of conversion to an online mode of teaching, instead of planned face-to-face instruction. Providing formative feedback was thought to be an important step to help students succeed in their final CAD project of the course. In the process of designing feedback, we found that the concept of feedback is still fragile in an online learning environment because online learning settings provide distinct pedagogical demands as compared to face-to-face settings. The situation is especially delicate in the context of contemporary higher education imparting engineering skills, where students attend large classes, with diminished opportunities to interact with the teaching staff. The challenge we faced was to provide meaningful dialogic feedback in an online environment, especially while teaching engineering graphics design to a large class. Here we addressed this challenge by focusing on the process of structuring meaningful feedback. We designed a project assignment to be submitted as multiple deliverables to be submitted in two-stages. Then, we characterized its feedback with multiple notions, such as dialogic iterative cycles, personalized, goal-directed, immediate, in written format, and having a peer assessment component. The process of providing formative feedback online through the structure mentioned in this paper resulted in students’ improved scores on the final project elements. It also helped us identify the common issues students are faltering in a graphics design class, and provide customized guidance, ideal examples of expected work, and more resources to motivate each student group to achieve mastery of course content. PubDate: 2021-02-12 DOI: 10.1007/s43683-021-00046-z
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Abstract: In order to provide undergraduate students with a full, rich online learning experience we adapted pre-existing online content including graduate courses from Johns Hopkins University Engineering for Professionals (JHU EP) program. These online courses were designed using published methodologies and held to a high level of rigor of a Masters-level curriculum. Adapting pre-existing online course material enabled us to more rapidly adapt to the COVID-19 shutdown of in-person education. We adapted content to meet the majority of lab-based learning objectives rather than generating self-recorded lecture material and allowing us to focus faculty time on addressing student needs. Here we discuss benefits, challenges, and methods for replicating these courses, and lessons to be applied in future offerings from this experience. PubDate: 2021-01-04 DOI: 10.1007/s43683-020-00041-w
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Abstract: Here we describe a systematic approach towards creating effective screencast based modules for teaching computational techniques in remote and online modalities. We adopted a multi-stage approach to create screencast videos that replaced in-person demos and active learning content in a finite element analysis based class. The stages include systematic preparation of video data and script; production stage, for recording and editing of captured video and audio; and post-production stage, for uploading generated media files into our learning management system. Modules were paired with assignments, thereby enhancing student learning and enabling assessment of module content efficacy. Our approach and technology received highly positive reception from students. Students also successfully navigated all associated assignments and final course project, which builds upon the content addressed in the modules. We identified several avenues for improvement in continued future offerings of such modules. We have outlined our design experience and student reception of screencast based modules for creating engaging learning content in remote teaching modalities. The description has been presented in form of teaching tips for other educators to adopt for their teaching needs. PubDate: 2021-01-04 DOI: 10.1007/s43683-020-00044-7
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