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Abstract BackgroundEngineering education traditionally emphasizes technical skills, sometimes at the cost of under‐preparing graduates for the real‐world engineering context. In recent decades, attempts to address this issue include increasing project‐based assignments and engineering design courses in curricula; however, a skills gap between education and industry remains. Purpose/HypothesisThis study aims to understand how undergraduate engineering students perceive product design before and after an upper‐level project‐based design course, as measured through concept maps. The purpose is to measure whether and how students account for the technical and nontechnical elements of design, as well as how a third‐year design course influences these design perceptions. Design/MethodConcept maps about product design were collected from 105 third‐year engineering students at the beginning and end of a design course. Each concept map's content and structure were quantitatively analyzed to evaluate the students' conceptual understandings and compare them across disciplines in the before and after conditions. ResultsThe analyses report on how student conceptions differ by discipline at the outset and how they changed after taking the course. Mechanical Engineering students showed a decrease in business‐related content and an increased focus on societal content, while students in the Engineering Management and Industrial and Systems Engineering programs showed an increase in business topics, specifically market‐related content. ConclusionThis study reveals how undergraduate students conceptualize product design, and specifically to what extent they consider engineering, business, and societal factors. The design courses were shown to significantly shape student conceptualizations of product design, and they did so in a way that mirrored the topics in the course syllabi. The findings offer insights into the education‐practice skills gap and may help future educators to better prepare engineering students to meet industry needs.
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This content will become publicly available on July 7, 2026
Integrating resource-efficiency into photonics education: new course development and redefining design training for a holistic approach
As the semiconductor and photonics industries grapple with mounting business pressures, weaving resourceefficiency into engineering education has evolved from a priority to an imperative. Under the umbrella of FUTUR-IC, this paper highlights novel pedagogical strategies at Bridgewater State University (BSU) aimed at equipping photonics and optical engineers to address today’s ecological challenges. We detail two complementary approaches that together form a cohesive educational framework. The first involves a newly introduced fresh year-level seminar on Resource Efficient Microchip Manufacturing, which immerses students in resource-efficiency metrics such as Life Cycle Intelligence and “design for resourceefficiency” principles. By interlinking photonic integration concepts with tangible business impact assessments, this course fosters an early appreciation of how advanced technologies can be developed responsibly, with reduced energy consumption and minimized waste. The second approach redefines senior-level engineering design courses to embed multifaceted resourceefficiency criteria in the design process. Through project-based learning and collaboration with industry partners, students integrate photonic solutions with data-driven metrics, refining their ability to propose holistic prototypes. These initiatives go beyond technical mastery to cultivate interdisciplinary collaboration and critical thinking. This work illustrates how an integrated approach to engineering education can spark the next generation of practitioners to design for both technological excellence and business viability.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2345076
- PAR ID:
- 10649316
- Editor(s):
- Kallepalli, Akhil
- Publisher / Repository:
- SPIE
- Date Published:
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 53
- Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
- resource-efficiency, photonics, microchip manufacturing, engineering education, life cycle intelligence
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Location:
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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