Teaching Associate Professor and Associate Chair of Undergraduate Studies Stevens Institute of Technology Hoboken, New Jersey, United States
Introduction:: Increasing diversity in the engineering workforce has been a challenge that colleges and universities have tried to solve for many years (1). Programs such as biomedical engineering at universities and institutions can suffer from the lack of diversity in the undergraduate population due to factors that include: high tuition, lack of exposure to Science Technology Engineering Mathematics (STEM) fields, accessibility of resources available in low-income school districts or the lack of role models and mentorships (1,2). Consequently, underrepresented minorities such as Hispanics and African American populations get severely impacted, while innovation can become limited. With the increase in global health illnesses, the need for innovative ideas in technology is imperative. Diversification of the biomedical workforce can potentially help address the critical need to reduce racial and healthcare disparities (2).
Storytelling is a pedagogical method used to enhance student engagement, improve career preparedness, and retention of knowledge in STEM-related fields (3). Storytelling helps connect students to real-world experiences and can effectively improve future interest in STEM careers. Using storytelling as a tool to motivate students early and plant the seed for potential careers in a STEM-related field can be impactful. In this study, an outreach workshop was provided to young learners in a low-income school district to improve awareness of biomedical engineering and 3D printing technology.
Materials and Methods:: Approximately two hundred elementary students (kindergarten to second grade) in a New Jersey township public school district participated in this workshop. To deliver the content, students were in their classrooms with their perspective teachers, and the workshop was conducted over Zoom. Three separate sessions were provided for each grade level for a thirty-minute duration. Students were first asked questions to assess their knowledge of engineering and specifically biomedical engineering. Such questions included: What do engineers do? What do biomedical engineers do? Competencies were assessed by the student’s ability to define engineering as solving a problem using the engineering design process which are concepts that have been previously introduced in their curriculum. Next, students were immersed in an interactive storytelling session using the book entitled, “Adventures of Edna, the Biomedical Engineer”. The book uses the engineering design process to solve a real-world problem (i.e. doll with a broken foot) while using 3D printing as the solution. In the middle of the session, an entertaining music video explaining the fundamental concepts of 3D printing was provided. During the plot of the story, early learners were asked several questions to predict the outcome of the storyline and how the character Edna would utilize the engineering design process to solve the problem posed in the book. Once the story was completed, students were asked to draw other problems biomedical engineers can solve with 3D printing. Responses were recorded in each session.
Results, Conclusions, and Discussions:: Results and Discussion
The primary objective of this workshop was to introduce students to biomedical engineering through storytelling. Storytelling was used as a bridge to expose and allow early learners to envision themselves solving problems in engineering and potentially spark an interest in a future career. This technique is used as a tool to engage students at a deeper level by using a relatable character with a common problem most children experience. The foundational elements of 3D printing were illustrated throughout the storyline.
In the initial assessment of the workshop, approximately 90% of students could not describe what an engineer or biomedical engineer does. After the workshop, students had an increased awareness of biomedical engineering evidenced by their comments to posed questions as shown in Table 1. In addition, when asked what else could a biomedical engineer 3D print, about 48% of students wanted to 3D print a device related to healthcare.
While kindergarten and first-grade groups were excited to learn about the story, most were not able to grasp the technical concepts of 3D printing. However, the second-grade group were the most engaged, leading us to believe this workshop was better suited for the second-grade age group. Post workshop comments from the administration were also positive stating most students could not stop talking about 3D printing many days after the workshop.
Conclusions
Identity is the extent to which individuals think about themselves as STEM learners and someone who knows about uses and sometimes contributes to STEM (4). Identity and identity development are critical to diverse students’ interest, pursuit, success, and persistence in STEM-related fields (5). In this outreach workshop, using storytelling demonstrated favorable outcomes in second graders which could have long-lasting effects on student interests in STEM. With continued exposure to biomedical engineering concepts through interactive, relatable stories, more students from diverse backgrounds will be inclined to participate and excel in STEM-related fields.
Acknowledgements (Optional): : I would like to thank Kristin Burke and Gail Baxter, PhD for the facilitation of this workshop.
References (Optional): :
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