Would Eisner Be Happy With Us? Developing Reflective Engineers Through an Arts-Incorporated Engineering Graduate Curriculum

• In Event: An Eclectic Eye for Experience and Innovation

Abstract

Engineering curriculum has traditionally focused on preparing students to become specialized individuals who possess primarily technical knowledge, while coming short of helping them understand complexities, ambiguities, and uncertainties of engineering practice that exist in real life situations. In this study, we, an interdisciplinary team of scholars from curriculum studies, art education, engineering, museum, and psychology, developed and implemented an arts-incorporated graduate curriculum in Spring 2019. The purpose of this paper is threefold: first, to provide the conceptual underpinnings of our curriculum design; second, to explore how engineering students have experienced the curriculum that incorporated the arts; and third, to understand how the arts-based curriculum has enhanced engineering students’ reflective thinking to embrace ambiguities and uncertainties that arise in engineering practice.

Authors

• Jeong-Hee Kim, Texas Tech University

• Ngan Thi Thu Nguyen, Texas Tech University

• Ryan C. Campbell, Texas Tech University

• Roman Taraban, Texas Tech University

• Danny Reible, Texas Tech University

• Chongzheng Na, Texas Tech University

• Sangmi Yoo, Texas Tech University