Community Service as a Means of Engineering Inspiration: An Initial Investigation into the Impact of the Toy Adaptation Program

For many first-year engineering students, what it means to be an engineer is an abstract concept. Introducing major-related classes early in an engineer’s education helps students answer, “what is an engineer?” However, these classes often lack connections between engineering and society. Additionally, current courses do not always effectively support students in becoming experienced problem solvers. To address the connection between engineering and society and to help students develop their confidence in problem solving, the Toy Adaptation Program (TAP) at The Ohio State University provides students with a hands-on experience modifying electronic toys for children with special needs. These adapted toys are donated to toy-lending libraries and families in-need, so that families are not burdened with the increased cost and inconvenience of purchasing marked-up adapted toys from select toy manufacturers. For this “In Progress” paper for the Community Engagement in Engineering Education Division, we will introduce the program in its current format along with our assessment techniques and next steps.