Finding Meaning in the Classroom: Learner-Centered Approaches that Engage Students in Engineering*

The Smith College Picker Engineering Program has partnered with the college's Department of Education and Child Study and Office of Educational Outreach to develop a learner-centered approach to engineering education, central to which is the integration of engineering and the liberal arts in the service of humanity. This paper presents the results of applying these educational strategies to Continuum Mechanics I, a sophomore-level engineering course including topics from engineering statics, dynamics, and mechanics of materials. Pedagogical elements used in this course include a variety of strategies designed to help learners engage their preconceptions, construct knowledge meaningfully, and take control of their learning. Assessment data demonstrate that the implementation of these strategies leads to increases in student satisfaction, confidence and commitment towards engineering, while also achieving the technical learning objectives of the course. The significance of these strategies for effectively engaging students, particularly women and other underrepresented groups, in the field of engineering is discussed.