Biomedical engineering education最新文献

Teaching labs at the undergraduate level poses unique challenges to a school system forced online by COVID-19. We adapted physiology laboratories typically taught in-person to an online-only format, allowing students to measure personal health data alone. Students used available technology and low-cost devices for measuring respiratory and cardiovascular parameters and analyzed the data for differences in testing conditions such as posture and exertion. Students did not physically interact, which encouraged self-directed learning but disallowed peer-to-peer education. Pre-recorded data was utilized for ECG measurements, which streamlined the process but precluded the interactive act of experimentation. The use of low-cost devices empowered and encouraged students to take ownership of their health and form important connections between their own lives and theoretical physiology. Facilitating communication and TA preparedness is key to smoothly running the virtual lab. It will be important for future virtual labs to be designed to facilitate student interaction, include hands-on experimentation, and encourage personal investigation.

There are increasing calls for the use of research-based teaching strategies to improve engagement and learning in engineering. In this innovation paper, we detail the application of research-based teaching strategies in a computer programming focused biomedical engineering module. This four-week, one-credit undergraduate biomedical engineering (BME) programming-based image processing module consisted of a blend of lectures, active learning exercises, guided labs, and a final project. Students completed surveys and generated concept maps at three time points in the module (pre, mid, and post) to document the impact of integrating research-based teaching strategies. Students demonstrated a significant (p < 0.05) increase in conceptual knowledge, confidence with material, and belief in the usefulness of material from the beginning to end of the module. Students also had high (>  4 out of 5) perceptions of gains in knowledge and attitudes toward instructor support. Overall, the novel design utilized multiple research-based pedagogies and increased students' conceptual knowledge, self-efficacy, and perceived usefulness of material. The proposed design is an example of how multiple research-based instructional strategies can be integrated into an undergraduate biomedical engineering course.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s43683-021-00057-w.

As cornerstones of biomedical engineering and bioengineering undergraduate programs, hands-on laboratory experiences promote key skill development and student engagement. Lab courses often involve team-based activities and close communication with instructors, allowing students to build connection and community. Necessitated by the pandemic, changes to class delivery format presented unprecedented challenges to student inclusion and engagement, especially for students from underrepresented minority backgrounds. Here, we present a multi-faceted approach for fostering inclusion and community-building in a hybrid bioengineering laboratory course. A basis for this project was an approach for team-based project work which allowed students to have hands-on experience in the lab and collaborate extensively with peers, while abiding by social distancing guidelines. Members of each student team worked together remotely and synchronously on a project. One team member executed the hands-on portion of each lab activity and the remote student(s) engaged in the project via online communication. The hybrid lab course was supplemented with interventions to further promote inclusivity and community, including instructor modeling on inclusion, team-based course content, attention to lab session logistics, and instructor communication. Students responded positively, as indicated by the median ratings in course evaluations for the four lab sections in the following categories concerning course climate (using a 5.0 scale): their overall comfort with the climate of the course (4.8 to 5.0), feeling valued and respected by lab instructor (4.8 to 5.0) and their peers (4.8 to 5.0), peers helping each other succeed in the course (4.5 to 5.0), and the degree to which the experience in the course contributed to their sense of belonging in engineering (4.2 to 5.0). When asked to describe aspects of the class that contributed to inclusivity towards differences, students cited a collaborative environment, course content on implicit bias and inclusivity, and an approachable teaching team. Overall, our approach was effective in fostering a sense of community and inclusion. We anticipate many of these initiatives can transcend instructional format to positively impact future lab course offerings, irrespective of modality.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s43683-022-00081-4.

Graduate school applications in Biomedical Engineering (BME) are steadily rising, making competition stiffer, applications more complex, and reviews more resource intensive. Holistic reviews are being increasingly adopted to support increased diversity, equity, and inclusion in graduate student BME admissions, but which application metrics are the strongest predictors of admission and enrollment into BME programs remains unclear. In this perspectives article, we aim to shed light on some of the key predictors of student acceptance in graduate school. We share data from a three-year retrospective review of our own institution's graduate BME applications and admission rates and review the influence of grade point averages (GPA), standardized test scores (e.g., GRE), and prior research experience on graduate school admission rates. We also examine how the waiver of GRE requirements has changed the landscape of BME graduate applications in recent years. Finally, we discuss efforts taken by our institution and others to develop and implement holistic reviews of graduate applications that encourage students from underrepresented backgrounds to apply and successfully gain admission to graduate school. We share five key lessons we learned by performing the retrospective review and encourage other institutions to "self-reflect" and examine their historical graduate admissions data and past practices. Efforts aimed at engaging faculty to overcome their own implicit biases, engaging with underrepresented students in hands-on, research-intensive programs, and networking with diverse student populations have strong potential to enhance the diversity of BME graduate programs and our STEM workforce.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s43683-022-00080-5.

This paper identifies an opportunity to integrate gamification in undergraduate biomedical engineering (BME) classrooms to alleviate student test anxiety and promote student perception of their academic performance. Gamification is a popular educational strategy that does not appear to be widely explored or adopted in higher education, particularly in a BME setting. This study proposes methods for the development, implementation, and evaluation of academic games and provides concrete practices and detailed instruction in which games can be used as an alternative to a traditional exam to support student mental health. The reflection provides the feedback received from students which demonstrates a balanced view of using game-based activities for tests and evaluations, cautiously optimistic based on the initial positive attitude seen from students.