Improving Engineering Design Education in the Context of Additive Manufacturing Using Artistic Practice

About This Grant

This project aims to serve the national interest by advancing engineering design education through the use of artistic practice to support student learning of additive manufacturing. The field of additive manufacturing (AM) and colloquially known as 3D printing is expanding to a worldwide revenue of more than $21 billion, making it an important facet of the United States' future global manufacturing competitiveness. However, due to the organic, freeform geometries possible with AM, rapidly educating a capable and innovative future AM workforce requires an interdisciplinary approach that is not always leveraged in engineering education. To address this limitation, this project aims to establish new, relevant paradigms in engineering education for AM within the domain of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math, better known as STEAM education. Through this lens, it will be possible to investigate and understand the potential impact that the integration of arts-based educational practice can have on AM educational outcomes with engineering undergraduates. Without this understanding, the ultimate potential of STEAM as an inherent part of undergraduate AM design education remains limited. The objective of this project is to establish foundational knowledge of how (1) engineering students' intrinsic STEAM agency and (2) the introduction of arts-based epistemic practice influence the outcomes of the early-stage design process within the context of additive manufacturing. This foundational knowledge will result in the creation of an evidence-based, educational STEAM framework capable of implementation across Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM) coursework. Knowledge will be generated through empirical study of arts-based interventions as applied to undergraduate DfAM education with engineering students across academic levels. The project will result in (1) quantitative evidence demonstrating the impact of student experiences in AM, their interest in art, and their design self-efficacy, (2) identification of statistically significant differences in student DfAM outcomes from problem exploration, concept generation, and design evaluation when presented with arts-based epistemic practice, and (3) a robust framework for synergistically integrating arts-based educational practices into DfAM education for engineering undergraduates. These deliverables have transformative potential to expand the use and perceived validity of STEAM education across the field of AM in undergraduate institutions across the United States. The NSF IUSE: EDU Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.