Lessons Learned to Effectively Teach and Evaluate Undergraduate Engineers in Work Design and Ergonomics Laboratory from a World Before, During, and After COVID-19

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted traditional in-person engineering education requiring instructors to adapt to a remote-learning environment. Hands-on engineering is a critical component of engineering education, where students learn applications of the industry through physical design. Remote learning provides opportunities for students to think and instructors to evaluate students using online-learning tools that may not be available in an in-person lab setting. This study compares the effectiveness of undergraduate engineering education in Work Design and Ergonomics Laboratory taught in-person pre-pandemic to during-pandemic remote teaching and post-pandemic in-person instruction. Various hypothesis tests reveal mode of instruction’s impact on effectiveness of engineering education. Three lab case studies (Eye Tracker, Lean Lego, and Time Study) and student evaluations (Student Experience of Teaching Surveys (SETs)) of the course and instructor help assess student learning outcomes and experiences. We analyze the barriers to teaching the lab synchronously both in-person and remotely and how to overcome those.