Why Should They Care? Meeting the Challenges of Teaching Non-engineers to Engineer

Students must be prepared for today’s globally-interconnected, technology-reliant world, so it is absolutely vital that they possess sound technological skills when they graduate. For students immediately entering the United States military upon graduation, this need is paramount. At the U.S. Air Force Academy, students are required to take several core engineering courses, regardless of their major, to graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree. An earlier ASEE paper [1] explored the basic pedagogy developed by the Air Force Academy’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering to overcome the inherent challenges of teaching non-engineers “to engineer.” This paper explores the measure of success for those efforts based on tangible feedback and assessment data. Furthermore, the paper specifically addresses a monumental challenge beyond educating the students: motivating them to care about their learning. Various approaches are discussed and solutions graded on their success or failure. A representative syllabus is included at the end of this paper.