(121f) Shaping the Engineering Identity: New Elements for a Tissue Engineering Elective

Research focusing on mental health among college students has emerged as a vital area of research. Given the substantial rates of college enrollment and the prevalence of mental health challenges within this age group (ACHA 2013), it presents an opportune arena for exploration. It is recognized that mental health is intertwined with one's sense of identity. Identity, in this context, encompasses self-concept, perceptions of one's place in the world, and aspirations for the future. A favorable perceived identity promotes overall well-being, while a negative association can lead to risky behaviors, difficulty in coping with stress (Samuolis 2015), and potentially lower graduation rates among college-aged individuals, including those in engineering disciplines (Hughes 2019). The overarching objective of this endeavor is to leverage the engineering classroom environment to equip students with effective tools for cultivating mental health and alignment with a positive identity, thereby enhancing success in college and beyond.

To achieve our overarching goal, we opted to utilize a senior/graduate level elective course named Tissue Engineering. Within this course, we implemented an integrated design project that tasked students with designing a medical device and simulating its commercialization process. In addition to the anticipated scientific and business skill-building aspects typical of a project such as this, we incorporated additional instruction and homework assignments aimed at familiarizing students with tools well-accepted to enhance mental well-being. To this end, four mini-lectures were delivered, focusing on explaining methods of practicing gratitude, mindfulness, and finding belonging, meaning and purpose. Concurrently, students were assigned four writing tasks aimed at bridging these mental health tools with entrepreneurship. These tasks encouraged students to journal from both their current perspective and that of a thriving entrepreneur. For instance, prompts for envisioning success included questions like, "Who or what do you appreciate for your achievements?" and "Picture yourself as a patient benefiting from the technology you've developed and marketed. Describe the impact on the patient.’’ And, ‘’How do you effectively deal with stress in your professional role?"

The integration of activities into the project was seamless, requiring minimal additional classroom time. We are currently evaluating the impact of these activities through pre- and post-introduction surveys, which assess students' attitudes toward their identity within the engineering community, self-perceived competence, interest, self-recognition, recognition by others, confidence, and enthusiasm in their field, among other factors. Additionally, we aim to offer a flexible and adaptable model for other engineering courses, particularly electives, where the subject matter coverage can vary. It is conceivable that these integrated activities will enhance performance on any classroom design project and students' perceptions of their final products, particularly as storytelling has been identified as a means of identity transformation (Hull 2006, Larraguibel 2022). From a broader perspective, we hope this experience equips students with valuable wellness tools applicable not only in tissue engineering and entrepreneurship but also in various future endeavors.

References:

ACHA (2013). American College Health Association–National College Health Assessment II: Spring 2013 reference group executive summary. Hanover, MD, American College Health Association.

Hughes, B. E., Schell, W.J., Annand, E., Beigel, R., Kwapisz, M.B. and Tallman, B. (2019). "Do I think I’m an engineer? Understanding the impact of engineering identity on retention." American Society for Engineering Education.

Hull, G. A., Katz, M.L. (2006). "Crafting an agentive self: Case studies of digital storytelling. ." Research in the Teaching of English 41(1): 43-81.

Larraguibel, Y. S., Edwards, M., Vasseur, R. and Elola, I. (2022). "Perceived changes of identity construction through digital storytelling:: A collective study abroad case study." Porta Linguarum: revista internacional de didáctica de las lenguas extranjeras 4: 193-214.

Samuolis, J., Barcellos, M., LaFlam, J., Belson, D. and Berard, J. (2015). "Mental health issues and their relation to identity distress in college students." Identity 15(1): 66-73.