Fostering Curiosity among Industrial Engineering Undergraduates through Experiment-Centric Pedagogy

Pelumi Olaitan Abiodun; Vandana Pandey; Oludare Adegbola Owolabi

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Conference: 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Portland, Oregon
Publication Date: June 23, 2024
Start Date: June 23, 2024
End Date: July 12, 2024
Conference Session: Industrial Engineering Division (IND) Technical Session 2
Tagged Division: Industrial Engineering Division (IND)
Tagged Topic: Diversity
Page Count: 18
Permanent URL: https://strategy.asee.org/47473

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Paper Authors

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Pelumi Olaitan Abiodun Morgan State University orcid.org/0000-0002-4969-9591

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Pelumi Abiodun is a current doctoral student and research assistant at the department of Civil Engineering, Morgan State University, Baltimore, Maryland. Pelumi got his BSc and MSc degree in Physics from Obafemi Awolowo University, where he also served as a research assistant at the Environmental Pollution Research unit, in Ile-Ife, Nigeria. As part of his contribution to science and engineering, Pelumi has taught as a teaching assistant both at Morgan State University and Obafemi Awolowo University. With passion to communicate research findings and gleaned from experts in the field as he advances his career, Olaitan has attended several in-persons and virtual conferences and workshop, and at some of them, made presentation on findings on air pollution, waste water reuse, and heavy metal contamination.

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Vandana Pandey Morgan State University

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Oludare Adegbola Owolabi P.E. Morgan State University

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Dr. Oludare Owolabi, a professional engineer in Maryland, joined the Morgan State University faculty in 2010. He is the assistant director of the Center for Advanced Transportation and Infrastructure Engineering Research (CATIER) at Morgan State Universit

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Abstract

In engineering education, cultivating a sense of curiosity among undergraduates is imperative for nurturing innovative thinkers and problem solvers. This study proposes an innovative approach, termed Experiment-Centric Pedagogy (ECP), an experiential and learners-centered approach of learning, aimed at enhancing curiosity of industrial engineering undergraduates. ECP integrates hands-on experimentation with traditional coursework to provide students with a dynamic and engaging learning experience. The study proposes to stimulate transformational shift in classroom dynamics by stirring learners’ curiosity through experiential learning. The methodology utilized a pre-and post-investigative design. The study conducted a survey with the validated and globally accepted Litman and Spielberger curiosity assessment tool to investigate the interest epistemic curiosity and the deprivation epistemic curiosity of the learners electronically. Quantitative analysis was carried out and results were presented using frequency, simple percentages, mean, and standard deviation. Impact of the pedagogy and other mediating factors to improving curiosity of learners were investigated using a t-test and the confidence level was set at 95% using the Statistical Package for Social Scientists (IBM SPSS v25.0) The findings of this study reveal a positive impact of ECP on students' curiosity levels. Through pre- and post-assessment surveys, it was observed that students exposed to ECP demonstrated a marked increase in their interest in exploring complex industrial engineering concepts. Moreover, class observation results indicated a heightened sense of engagement and participation during classroom sessions. In conclusion, experiment-centric pedagogy offers a promising approach to enhancing curiosity in industrial engineering undergraduates. This innovative teaching methodology not only ignites students' interest in the subject matter but also equips them with critical thinking skills necessary for success in the dynamic field of industrial engineering. This research sets the stage for a transformative shift in pedagogical practices among industrial engineering educators, ultimately empowering the next generation of industrial engineers to drive innovation and progress in the industry.

Citation
Format

Abiodun, P. O., & Pandey, V., & Owolabi, O. A. (2024, June), Fostering Curiosity among Industrial Engineering Undergraduates through Experiment-Centric Pedagogy Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. https://strategy.asee.org/47473

TY - CPAPER
AB - In engineering education, cultivating a sense of curiosity among undergraduates is imperative for nurturing innovative thinkers and problem solvers. This study proposes an innovative approach, termed Experiment-Centric Pedagogy (ECP), an experiential and learners-centered approach of learning, aimed at enhancing curiosity of industrial engineering undergraduates. ECP integrates hands-on experimentation with traditional coursework to provide students with a dynamic and engaging learning experience. The study proposes to stimulate transformational shift in classroom dynamics by stirring learners’ curiosity through experiential learning.
The methodology utilized a pre-and post-investigative design. The study conducted a survey with the validated and globally accepted Litman and Spielberger curiosity assessment tool to investigate the interest epistemic curiosity and the deprivation epistemic curiosity of the learners electronically. Quantitative analysis was carried out and results were presented using frequency, simple percentages, mean, and standard deviation. Impact of the pedagogy and other mediating factors to improving curiosity of learners were investigated using a t-test and the confidence level was set at 95% using the Statistical Package for Social Scientists (IBM SPSS v25.0)
The findings of this study reveal a positive impact of ECP on students&#39; curiosity levels. Through pre- and post-assessment surveys, it was observed that students exposed to ECP demonstrated a marked increase in their interest in exploring complex industrial engineering concepts. Moreover, class observation results indicated a heightened sense of engagement and participation during classroom sessions.
In conclusion, experiment-centric pedagogy offers a promising approach to enhancing curiosity in industrial engineering undergraduates. This innovative teaching methodology not only ignites students&#39; interest in the subject matter but also equips them with critical thinking skills necessary for success in the dynamic field of industrial engineering. This research sets the stage for a transformative shift in pedagogical practices among industrial engineering educators, ultimately empowering the next generation of industrial engineers to drive innovation and progress in the industry.

AU - Pelumi Olaitan Abiodun
AU - Vandana Pandey
AU - Oludare Adegbola Owolabi P.E.
CY - Portland, Oregon
DA - 2024/06/23
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Fostering Curiosity among Industrial Engineering Undergraduates through Experiment-Centric Pedagogy
UR - https://strategy.asee.org/47473
ER -