Building Empathy through Classroom and Community Integration in a Multidisciplinary Engineering Design Program

Rachel Atherton; Patricia Brackin

doi:10.1145/3658422.3658424

Communication Design Quarterly Sep 2024 Open Access

Building Empathy through Classroom and Community Integration in a Multidisciplinary Engineering Design Program

Rachel Atherton Rose–Hulman Institute of Technology ; Patricia Brackin Rose–Hulman Institute of Technology

Abstract

In this experience report, we share our strategies for scaffolding and supporting instruction in empathy in a first-year Engineering Design studio course. Empathy is a key component of UX and design, but as Tham argued, it is a difficult skill that requires practice and critical application. Community engagement scholars have long argued that community-engaged projects help foster that empathy. Our teaching case will show how emphasizing content knowledge about user groups and creating an empathetic classroom environment impacts student designers' ability to empathize in the design process.

Journal: Communication Design Quarterly
Published: 2024-09-01
DOI: 10.1145/3658422.3658424
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Open Access: OA PDF Gold
Topics: teacher development
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Building Empathy through Classroom and Community Integration in a Multidisciplinary Engineering Design Program

Abstract

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References (16) · 7 in this index

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