What Story Do You Want to Tell? Developing Empathy in Engineering Students through an Extra-Curricular Narrative Sharing Experience

Stephanie Lunn; Cristi Bell-Huff

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Conference: 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Publication Date: August 23, 2022
Start Date: June 26, 2022
End Date: June 29, 2022
Conference Session: Multidisciplinary Engineering Division Technical Session - Empathy, Metacognitive Skills, and Perceptions of Success
Page Count: 20
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--40467
Permanent URL: https://sftp.asee.org/40467
Download Count: 252

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Paper Authors

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Stephanie Lunn Georgia Institute of Technology

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Stephanie Lunn is a postdoctoral fellow in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University. She earned her doctoral degree in Computer Science from Florida International University, in addition to B.S. and M.S. degrees. She also holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Neuroscience from the University of Miami. Her research interests span the fields of computing and engineering education, human-computer interaction, data science, and machine learning.

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Cristi Bell-Huff Georgia Institute of Technology

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Cristi L. Bell-Huff, PhD is a Lecturer and the Director of Faculty and Student Training in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University where she is involved in teaching and engineering education innovation and research. In addition to her PhD in Chemical Engineering, she also has an MA in Educational Studies. She has industrial experience in pharmaceutical product and process development as well as teaching experience at the secondary and post-secondary levels.

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Abstract

Empathy is important for interpersonal relations, promoting consideration of the perspectives and needs of others. While engineers are often trained in theoretical principles and technological competencies that will allow them to take rigorous approaches to solving practical problems, engendering empathy can be more challenging and is often neglected. In this work, we describe a multi-institutional, story-driven learning experience established to encourage engineering students to share their tales of growth, identity, and vision. Through synchronous, remote, weekly meetings held over the span of eight weeks, 24 engineering students from five academic institutions were prompted to self-reflect and consider their pathways to and within their discipline. Zaki’s framework of empathy served as the guiding lens through which we investigated: 1) How does an eight-week, extra-curricular, story-focused learning program affect students’ perceptions and levels of empathy? and 2) How does story-focused pedagogy impact students’ interpersonal interactions? Over the course of the program, we explored students’ empathy development and their interpersonal interactions using a mixed methods approach. Students completed Davis’ Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) at the start and end of the program, along with providing their definitions of empathy. They also completed open-ended responses about the experience. In addition, we conducted semi-structured interviews with the program facilitators to learn more about the interactions they observed within and between groups. While there were no significant quantitative changes in empathy, qualitative analysis illustrated how the program not only encouraged students to develop rich narratives and to gain confidence in speaking, but also spurred them to consider how they could create value for society. The experience served to raise awareness of others’ perspectives and allowed them to establish connections as the students shared their stories and reacted to those of others. Apart from detailing a potential pedagogical approach to enhance engineering students’ communication skills, the findings also highlight how storytelling can foster empathy. This work is of interest to administrators and faculty looking to integrate different approaches to facilitate personal and professional growth and the expansion of empathy across engineering fields and in society.

Citation
Format

Lunn, S., & Bell-Huff, C. (2022, August), What Story Do You Want to Tell? Developing Empathy in Engineering Students through an Extra-Curricular Narrative Sharing Experience Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. 10.18260/1-2--40467

TY - CPAPER
AB - Empathy is important for interpersonal relations, promoting consideration of the perspectives and needs of others. While engineers are often trained in theoretical principles and technological competencies that will allow them to take rigorous approaches to solving practical problems, engendering empathy can be more challenging and is often neglected. In this work, we describe a multi-institutional, story-driven learning experience established to encourage engineering students to share their tales of growth, identity, and vision. Through synchronous, remote, weekly meetings held over the span of eight weeks, 24 engineering students from five academic institutions were prompted to self-reflect and consider their pathways to and within their discipline. Zaki’s framework of empathy served as the guiding lens through which we investigated: 1) How does an eight-week, extra-curricular, story-focused learning program affect students’ perceptions and levels of empathy? and 2) How does story-focused pedagogy impact students’ interpersonal interactions? Over the course of the program, we explored students’ empathy development and their interpersonal interactions using a mixed methods approach. Students completed Davis’ Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) at the start and end of the program, along with providing their definitions of empathy. They also completed open-ended responses about the experience. In addition, we conducted semi-structured interviews with the program facilitators to learn more about the interactions they observed within and between groups. While there were no significant quantitative changes in empathy, qualitative analysis illustrated how the program not only encouraged students to develop rich narratives and to gain confidence in speaking, but also spurred them to consider how they could create value for society. The experience served to raise awareness of others’ perspectives and allowed them to establish connections as the students shared their stories and reacted to those of others. Apart from detailing a potential pedagogical approach to enhance engineering students’ communication skills, the findings also highlight how storytelling can foster empathy. This work is of interest to administrators and faculty looking to integrate different approaches to facilitate personal and professional growth and the expansion of empathy across engineering fields and in society.
AU - Stephanie Lunn
AU - Cristi Bell-Huff
CY - Minneapolis, MN
DA - 2022/08/23
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - What Story Do You Want to Tell? Developing Empathy in Engineering Students through an Extra-Curricular Narrative Sharing Experience
UR - https://sftp.asee.org/40467
DO - 10.18260/1-2--40467
ER -