(57a) Integrating Creativity and Innovation While Utilizing Local Materials in Undergraduate Engineering Design Curriculum

Creation of pottery and ceramics is as ancient as human settlement. The local minerals found in the Black Hills have been used to make ceramics for hundreds of years. The talk focuses on leveraging the local resources to develop hands on curriculum to inspire students in a curricular setting to be more innovative with their design components. The talk will present case studies of freshman first year experience courses and a junior level design course. A rigorous external assessment of the research will be conducted and includes the use of a variety of assessment tools a couple of the following will be used: Herrmann Brain Dominance Inventory, Small Group Instructional Diagnosis (SGID), student focus groups.

Results from the SGID and student focus group surveys report positive results with the modified curricula that has been integrated into the initial first year engineering course. Student surveys were performed with a primary focus on student advancement in areas of creativity, innovation, and technical knowledge. The self-efficacy studies illustrate a general increase in the students’ perception of their creative skills and technical knowledge.