Samuel Bechara
Imagine a group of engineering students designing a low-cost, solar-powered water heating system for a remote village. Now imagine another group working on the same technology but for a multinational, multi-billion-dollar recreational vehicle conglomerate. Both projects test students’ technical skills in almost the exact same way, but only one helps a community in need. Considering what we know about Generation Z, which project is more likely to excite students? The answer seems obvious.
This is the power of community service-based senior design projects. These projects offer students the opportunity to apply their engineering knowledge to solve real-world problems that make a tangible difference in society.
Most university engineering programs culminate in a capstone design course, where students showcase their accumulated skills by producing a useful engineering product. The nature of these products varies by discipline; for example, mechanical engineers are expected to create physical machines, while software engineers generate code to solve a problem. However, what is consistent is that faculty typically judge senior design projects based on their practicality and potential impact within their given field. Capstone projects serve as a crucial bridge between academia and professional practice, allowing students to demonstrate their capabilities before entering the workforce.
Traditionally, universities have relied on faculty or industry partnerships to supply design problems for students to tackle. Given that many engineering graduates pursue careers in the private sector, this approach provides valuable real-world experience and is not without merit. However, not all industry projects align with student motivations. In some cases, they may even conflict with what students are passionate about. According to Wigfield and Eccles (1983) Expectancy–Value Theory, students are more likely to engage in tasks they find valuable and personally meaningful [1]. Community service-based senior design projects capitalize on this, connecting students’ engineering skills with the opportunity to help people in their own communities.
These projects focus on addressing the needs of underserved or marginalized groups, a mission that resonates deeply with students, staff, and faculty at most universities. It makes sense, as the people that are attracted to university careers are rarely interested in accumulating wealth, but instead are generally motivated by a desire to contribute to society. By tackling meaningful, real-world challenges, all participants feel a greater sense of purpose, driving engagement and creativity. Beyond motivation, there is growing evidence that service learning positively affects student outcomes, particularly in areas critical to ABET accreditation [2]. Schrader et al. [2] showed that service-based projects not only foster higher engagement but also lead to improvements in problem-solving, communication, and ethical understanding.
In these projects, students don’t just practice being engineers, they become observers and partners. They learn to understand the unique social, cultural, and environmental factors shaping the problems they are solving. This ethnographic approach allows them to design solutions that are not only technically sound but also contextually appropriate. Community service-based projects provide students with a holistic view of engineering, emphasizing empathy and social responsibility alongside technical prowess.
The benefits extend beyond the classroom. Students work closely with real stakeholders, often in the communities where they live. These collaborations teach students how to communicate with non-engineers, adapt designs based on feedback, and deliver practical solutions that address the specific needs of the people they serve. The sense of satisfaction that comes from making a direct impact in their community is invaluable.
At Colorado State University (CSU), our students have tackled a wide range of community-centered projects that demonstrate the power of engineering to improve lives. From designing a custom swing for a local man with autism to developing a robotic exoskeleton for canines and creating assistive technologies for people with disabilities, these projects showcase the tangible, positive impact that community service-based engineering can have.
One impactful project involved designing customized prosthetics for a CSU student born without hands. The off-the-shelf prosthetics available were highly capable, but too bulky, making them inconvenient to use all day. This in turn meant that despite their utility, the student never wore his off-the-shelf prosthetic. Through close collaboration, the team designed a custom prosthetic tailored to the client’s specific need which was ultimately decided to be “holding a pint glass or a Solo cup filled with liquid.” The result was a prosthetic that is limited in function, especially when compared to the off the shelf prosthetics (Figure 1). However, the custom prosthetic profoundly improved the client’s quality of life. I had the privilege of celebrating the project’s success with the team, raising a glass of “liquid” in their honor.
Figure 1. Jian Cohen, business student, testing out prosthetic limbs inside the Lory Student Center (LSC) ballroom, 24 April 2023 at E-Days. (Photo courtesy of John Eisele/CSU.)
Another memorable project was a multidisciplinary collaboration focused on developing a robotic exoskeleton for dogs with weak hind legs. In partnership with CSU’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital and OrthoPets, students created a therapy tool for dogs with spinal issues. This project, which drew immediate enthusiasm from nearly every student in the course, illustrates the wide range of applications community service-based projects can offer. If nothing else, remember this: working with dogs can be a powerful motivator for college students.
A particularly heartwarming project involved creating a custom swing for a Fort Collins man with autism. Public swings were unsuitable for his size, yet swinging was his favorite sensory activity and a crucial part of his caregivers’ toolkit. CSU students designed and built a swing that could support him comfortably and safely, transforming not just his daily life, but also the lives of his caregivers. This project demonstrated how engineering can address deeply personal needs, enhancing both student motivation and community well-being (Figure 2).
By participating in these projects, students experience significant personal and professional growth. Professionally, they learn valuable skills such as teamwork, communication, and problem-solving in complex, real-world contexts. Personally, they develop empathy and a deeper understanding of social issues, inspiring them to use their skills for the greater good.
Figure 2. Student engineers Renee Farnes, Paige Floyd, and Nick Krekeler double-checked their calculations to ensure the swing will withstand years of daily use. (Photo courtesy of John Eisele/CSU.)
Incorporating community service-based projects into engineering education is not without its challenges. This article is not suggesting that all senior design projects should be service-oriented. For one thing, securing these types of projects requires strong relationships with local organizations and community members, which can be difficult for faculty to cultivate in addition to their busy academic schedules. Further, financial limitations often constrain community service-based projects, which typically lack the robust sponsorships of industry-focused initiatives. At CSU, we’ve been fortunate to have institutional support from the College of Engineering, which funds many of our community service efforts. Without this support, pursuing these projects would be much more difficult. Finally, there is the reality that a significant number of students benefit from exposure to industry when they engage with industry sponsored projects. These is especially true at CSU where strong industry partnership is a hallmark of our senior design program. Despite these challenges, when it is possible to solicit for community service-based projects, the rewards are undeniable. Students who work on them graduate not only with a strong technical foundation but also with a sense of purpose, equipped to become engineers who solve problems that truly matter.
References
- A. Wigfield and J. S. Eccles, “Expectancy–value theory of achievement motivation,” Contemp. Educ. Psychol., vol. 25, no. 1, pp. 68–81, Jan. 2000, doi: 10.1006/ceps.1999.1015.
- C. Sevier et al., “What value does service learning have on introductory engineering students’ motivation and ABET program outcomes?” J. STEM Educ., vol. 13, no. 4, pp. 1–17, Aug. 2012.