Undergraduate Biomedical Engineering Research Articles

A Peristaltic Pump to Improve Bladder Emptying and Irrigation in Patients Who Use Clean Intermittent Catheterization

Background: Neurogenic bladder patients who intermittently catheterize may have systems that drain slowly and incompletely. These limitations can lead to urinary tract infections and bladder stone formation and be time consuming. We hypothesize that a catheter accessory device could improve drainage, reduce residual bladder volume, and save time. Methods: A yearlong collaboration between an undergraduate biomedical engineering student design team and client mentors from the pediatric urology department led to an evaluation of solutions to enhance emptying of bladders that require intermittent catheterization. Students performed market analysis, identified design requirements, generated design concepts, conducted usability testing, and constructed alpha and beta prototypes verified through benchtop experimentation during the yearlong project. Prototypes were verified using a phantom bladder model built from a compliant stress ball with an attached catheter and placed under an external pressure of 5 cm H 2 O. Tests were conducted to measure the diff erence between passive drainage and device-assisted drainage at various bladder volumes and catheter sizes. Eight student peers compared passive emptying, irrigating, and aspirating a phantom bladder model using the prototype or syringe to assess the usability of the device. Results: We developed a pump that interfaces with commercially available catheters. The pump housing was designed and 3D printed. Fluid can be moved bi-directionally with a battery-powered peristaltic pump and microcontroller. The pump has a built-in current sensing threshold with an automatic shutoff safety mechanism. Testing results showed that for all bladder volumes and catheter sizes, the pump emptied more completely and drained between 1.6 and 6.3 times faster when compared to passive drainage. Usability feedback showed that the pump required less time to irrigate the bladder and was preferred when compared to the manual syringe technique. Conclusions: This portable catheter pump improves phantom bladder emptying by increasing flow rate, decreasing residual volume, and making irrigation easier. Future design improvements will work to implement safety mechanisms and miniaturize the pump. This project demonstrates the feasibility of a catheter accessory device to improve patient quality of life and the ability for understudied clinical problems to be addressed through collaborations between capstone engineering design teams and physicians.

Integration of Febio as an Instructional Tool in the Undergraduate Biomechanics Curriculum.

Computer simulations play an important role in a range of biomedical engineering applications. Thus, it is important that biomedical engineering students engage with modeling in their undergraduate education and establish an understanding of its practice. In addition, computational tools enhance active learning and complement standard pedagogical approaches to promote student understanding of course content. Herein, we describe the development and implementation of learning modules for computational modeling and simulation (CM&S) within an undergraduate biomechanics course. We developed four CM&S learning modules that targeted predefined course goals and learning outcomes within the febio studio software. For each module, students were guided through CM&S tutorials and tasked to construct and analyze more advanced models to assess learning and competency and evaluate module effectiveness. Results showed that students demonstrated an increased interest in CM&S through module progression and that modules promoted the understanding of course content. In addition, students exhibited increased understanding and competency in finite element model development and simulation software use. Lastly, it was evident that students recognized the importance of coupling theory, experiments, and modeling and understood the importance of CM&S in biomedical engineering and its broad application. Our findings suggest that integrating well-designed CM&S modules into undergraduate biomedical engineering education holds much promise in supporting student learning experiences and introducing students to modern engineering tools relevant to professional development.

Phenomenological Evaluation of an Undergraduate Clinical Needs Finding Skills Through a Virtual Reality Clinical Immersion Platform

Clinical immersion programs have been widely used in higher education, particularly in biomedical engineering (BME) programs, to allow students to identify and evaluate the unmet clinical needs. However, due to limited space and extensive safety protocols required to enter hospitals, access for undergraduate students to shadow physicians is limited. BME students need to be trained to identify and evaluate unmet clinical needs through observation and experience to remain competitive in the medical device landscape. To be able to allow students to immerse themselves into clinical environments remotely and be able to visualize the full spectrum of healthcare workers and equipment that support a procedure beyond what is available through online video records, we have developed a virtual reality (VR) clinical immersion platform. The applicability and overall student satisfaction of using VR learning environments was investigated through a pilot undergraduate BME unmet clinical needs finding course in the spring of 2022. Pre- and post-course survey analyses revealed that the VR clinical immersion experiences did greatly increase immersion within a medical procedure, and students felt sensations of presence and embodiment. Given the results of this study, VR learning environments can provide a means for students to perform unmet clinical needs through virtual clinical immersion. However, these technologies to support environments should be readily accessible within the classroom.

Determinants of Intra-major Specialization and Career Decisions Among Undergraduate Biomedical Engineering Students

Biomedical engineering is a broad and interdisciplinary field that prepares graduates for a variety of careers across multiple career sectors. Given this breadth, undergraduate degree programs often have formal or informal opportunities for students to further specialize within the biomedical engineering major to develop skills in subdisciplines of biomedical engineering. While previous work has explored factors that influence student decision-making of engineering major choice, including the role of gender, limited work has explored factors that influence intra-major specialization in biomedical engineering. The present study sought to expand on existing research to understand factors that influence biomedical engineering students’ choice of intra-major specializations and how, if at all, these factors are related to gender. Grounded in social cognitive career theory, the present study leveraged quantitative surveys from undergraduate biomedical engineering students to understand factors influencing intra-major specialization choice, including the impact that students viewed on their career plans. Participants rated multiple factors as important in their intra-major specialization decisions, with professors/classes rated as the most important influence and alumni as the lowest. Similarly, participants rated multiple outcome expectations of their specialization, although income was rated lower than other factors. Participants most commonly indicated interest in pursuing careers in industry and medicine. We found some differences in intra-major specialization, outcome expectations, and career interests by gender, with women students indicating a higher influence of professors/classes and higher expectations for their track decision to provide a career with a good income. Further understanding of how undergraduate students select specializations in engineering coursework will inform curriculum design and student advising.

A Qualitative Study of Biomedical Engineering Student Critical Reflection During Clinical Immersion Experiences.

Clinical immersion experiences provide engineering students with opportunities to identify unmet user needs and to interact with clinical professionals. These experiences have become common features of undergraduate biomedical engineering curricula, with many published examples in the literature. There are, however, few or no published studies that describe rigorous qualitative analysis of biomedical engineering student reflections from immersion programs. Fifteen reflection prompts that align with program learning goals were developed and structured based on the DEAL model for critical reflection. Undergraduate participants in a summer immersion program responded to these prompts throughout five weeks of clinical rotations. Data from two summer cohorts of participants (n = 20) were collected, and thematic analysis was performed to characterize student responses. Students reported learning about key healthcare topics, such as medical insurance, access to healthcare (and lack thereof), stakeholder perspectives, and key medical terminology and knowledge. Most reflections also noted that students could apply newly gained medical knowledge to biomedical engineering design. Further, clinical immersion provided students with a realistic view of the biomedical engineering profession and potential areas for future professional growth, with many reflections identifying the ability to communicate with a variety of professionals as key to student training. Some students reflected on conversations with patients, noting that these interactions reinvigorated their passion for the biomedical engineering field. Finally, 63% of student reflections identified instances in which patients of low socioeconomic status were disadvantaged in health care settings. Clinical immersion programs can help close the gap between academic learning and the practical experience demands of the field, as design skills and product development experience are becoming increasingly necessary for biomedical engineers. Our work initiates efforts toward more rigorous analysis of students' reactions and experiences, particularly around socioeconomic and demographic factors, which may provide guidance for continuous improvement and development of clinical experiences for biomedical engineers.

Lessons from Developing Multimedia Learning Materials for the Digital Generation

Recognizing that traditional textbooks on need-driven health technology innovation were increasingly misaligned with the needs of today’s undergraduate biomedical engineering students and the faculty who teach them, we initiated an effort to develop new learning materials for this audience. To guide our efforts, we conducted literature searches on best practices in the development of online content and engaging digital learners (primarily Gen-Z). We further held a series of discussions with biomedical engineering students and instructors at universities across the United States. This input led us to the development of a set of modular, online, multimedia learning materials specifically designed for the new generation of undergraduate learners. In this article, we present the key decisions that helped shape the project. We also share the results of feedback surveys and focus groups that shed light on how the materials have been preliminarily received. Finally, we reflect on challenges, opportunities, and lessons from this project that may be helpful to other initiatives focused on the creation of multimedia content for the digital generation.

Clinical Immersion of Undergraduate Biomedical Engineering Students: Best Practices for Short-Term Programs.

Many biomedical engineering degree programs lack substantial immersive clinical experiences for undergraduate students, creating a need for clinical immersion programs that contribute to training objectives that emphasize current clinical needs (Becker in Eur J Eng Educ 31:261-272, 2006; Davis et al. in J Eng Educ 91:211-221, 2002; Dym et al. in J Eng Educ 94:103-120, 2005). Immersive clinical experiences have the potential to bridge the gap between clinical and non-clinical learning objectives in biomedical engineering curriculum. In collaboration with Indiana University Health Methodist Hospital, we have created, executed, and evaluated a two-week cardiovascular clinical immersion program for biomedical engineering undergraduate students at Purdue University. As of August 2022, this program has run 11 times since 2014 with 60 participants to date, exposing students to intensive and non-intensive care environments, facilitating interactions with medical professionals, and encouraging exploration of innovative technologies shaping the training of clinicians with direct patient interaction. The variety of cardiovascular topics discussed and clinical settings observed has provided students with a unique, highly beneficial learning opportunity. Keys to the continued success and growth of similar programs include: recruiting a diverse team, support from administrative staff/clinicians, a funded student intern position, and careful consideration of liability/risk management. Areas of future consideration include, streamlining the order of scheduled events, determining if offering course credit would be beneficial to students, and tracking career trajectories after participations.

Escaping the Laboratory: An Escape Room to Reinforce Biomedical Engineering Skills

Commercial escape rooms have grown in popularity as an enjoyable experience that also doubles as an exercise in communication and collaboration. Educators can take advantage of these natural qualities to engage and support students in a low-stress learning environment. The primary goal of this study is to share the development and application of an educational escape room as a tool to provide biomedical engineering (BME) students with an immersive and practical experience. A BME laboratory course-specific escape room was developed and beta-tested on an initial group of BME students. The first set of feedback enabled improvements to the design and difficulty of the escape room, which was followed by the final release of the activity for the intended undergraduate BME course. Across an academic year, 74 participants agreed to provide survey feedback for this study. Despite a moderate escape rate (29%), students reported high satisfaction and enthusiasm for the activity. Student survey responses indicated that participants were engaged and empowered to successfully escape even without external motivators. Responses supported the effectiveness of the escape room as a BME learning environment, allowing students to practice and retain course-related knowledge in a challenging but low-risk activity. The foundational structure of escape rooms offers a beneficial environment for experiential knowledge application. We conclude that educational escape rooms show promise as a pedagogical tool in promoting enhanced knowledge retention through immersive, game-based learning.

Addressing Test Anxiety Using Game-Based Assessment.

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.

Design and Implementation of Privilege for Sale, a JEDI Activity for a Biomedical Engineering Introductory Course

An increasing body of knowledge points to the need for the integration of Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI)-based topics into undergraduate and graduate curricula. The Racial Justice and Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (REDI) committee designed and implemented a short activity in an introductory undergraduate biomedical engineering course. The activity was designed as a facilitated small group discussion (4 students), preceded by an introduction to the activity, community rules for engagement and a call to reflection of privilege. Groups of students were guided to rank 3 privileges (out of a list of 5) that they valued as contributing factors to their success. Through the activity, situational and social contexts were identified by students in how they valued privileges, and overall fostered a robust discussion amongst peers about their roles and responsibilities as biomedical engineers. The activity engaged students to self-reflect on what they considered as privileges that contributed to success in college. In future re-offerings, the activity is likely to be more impactful when combined with resources that can facilitate calls to action and allyship.

Learning the Language of Medical Device Innovation: A Longitudinal Interdisciplinary Elective for Medical Students.

Physicians are playing a growing role as clinician-innovators. Academic physicians are well positioned to contribute to the medical device innovation process, yet few medical school curricula provide students opportunities to learn the conceptual framework for clinical needs finding, needs screening, concept generation and iterative prototyping, and intellectual property management. This framework supports innovation and encourages the development of valuable interdisciplinary communication skills and collaborative learning strategies. Our university offers a novel 3-year-long medical student Longitudinal Interdisciplinary Elective in Biodesign (MSLIEB) that teaches medical device innovation in 4 stages: (1) seminars and small-group work, (2) shared clinical experiences for needs finding, (3) concept generation and product development by serving as consultants for biomedical engineering capstone projects, and (4) reflection and mentorship. The MSLIEB objectives are to: create a longitudinal interdisciplinary peer mentorship relationship between undergraduate biomedical engineering students and medical students, and encourage codevelopment of professional identities in relation to medical device innovation. The MSLIEB enrolled 5 entering cohorts from 2017 to 2021 with a total of 37 medical student participants. The first full entering cohort of 12 medical students produced 8 mentored biomedical engineering capstone projects, 7 of which were based on clinical needs statements derived from earlier in the elective. Medical student participants have coauthored poster and oral presentations; contributed to projects that won WolfieTank, a university-wide competition modeled after the television show Shark Tank; and participated in the filing of provisional patents. Students reflecting on the course reported a change in their attitude towards existing medical problems, felt better-equipped to collaboratively design solutions for clinical needs, and considered a potential career path in device design. The MSLIEB will be scaled up by recruiting additional faculty, broadening clinical opportunities to include the outpatient setting, and increasing medical student access to rapid prototyping equipment.

Problem-Based Learning Impacts Students’ Reported Learning and Confidence in an Undergraduate Biomedical Engineering Course

Recent advances in teaching, many of which incorporate elements of active learning, seek to provide students with learning experiences indicative of real-world problem solving. Problem-based learning (PBL) is one form of active learning that challenges students to address open-ended problems. In this work, we evaluate the efficacy of PBL in achieving the various levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy, compared to the traditional teaching methods of lecture, in-class problems, and homework. In this two-year study of undergraduates at a mid-sized research university, students report their perceived rating of various teaching methods in mastering the educational goals on each level of Bloom’s Taxonomy, from which a cumulative linked mixed model was formed. Students also evaluated their preparedness and increases in skill and confidence for a range of specific tasks associated with completing a PBL project. PBL was the only teaching method to preferentially activate high levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy. Students also reported increases in their skills and confidence (p < 0.01), with more time spent on high-level tasks, compared to low-level tasks. Qualitative survey responses indicate a plurality of students found PBL engaging and rewarding, with additional benefits to their development of professional skills. Though PBL is not comprehensively better at addressing all levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy compared to other teaching methods, this work has shown it is far superior at addressing the highest Bloom’s Taxonomy levels of Evaluate and Create. Time spent in PBL improves students’ self-efficacy in high-level tasks, preparing them for difficult and ill-defined tasks they may expect to see in future professional and academic environments.

Creation and Analysis of Technological Intelligence Reports as Educative Tool in Biomedical Engineering.

Identifying and analyzing quality information sources of technical information is a fundamental skill to create and maintain a technological intelligence system. In the present work, we propose the intentional training of undergraduate biomedical engineering students to create a simple technological intelligence report by analyzing scientific publications and patents. Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS) focused on the medical devices industry is proposed as the central topic, results suggest that the creation of technological intelligence report generates value to the undergraduate biomedical engineering students given them a tool to identify the impact of new technology in healthcare and medical devices.

Applying Research-Based Teaching Strategies in a Biomedical Engineering Programming Course: Introduction to Computer Aided Diagnosis.

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 InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s43683-021-00057-w.

Finite Element Analysis as an Iterative Design Tool for Students in an Introductory Biomechanics Course.

Insufficient engineering analysis is a common weakness of student capstone design projects. Efforts made earlier in a curriculum to introduce analysis techniques should improve student confidence in applying these important skills toward design. To address student shortcomings in design, we implemented a new design project assignment for second-year undergraduate biomedical engineering students. The project involves the iterative design of a fracture fixation plate and is part of a broader effort to integrate relevant hands-on projects throughout our curriculum. Students are tasked with (1) using computer-aided design (CAD) software to make design changes to a fixation plate, (2) creating and executing finite element models to assess performance after each change, (3) iterating through three design changes, and (4) performing mechanical testing of the final device to verify model results. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used to assess student knowledge, confidence, and achievement in design. Students exhibited design knowledge gains and cognizance of prior coursework knowledge integration into their designs. Further, student's self-reported confidence gains in approaching design, working with hardware and software, and communicating results. Finally, student self-assessments exceeded instructor assessment of student design reports, indicating that students have significant room for growth as they progress through the curriculum. Beyond the gains observed in design knowledge, confidence, and achievement, the fracture fixation project described here builds student experience with CAD, finite element analysis, three-dimensional printing, mechanical testing, and design communication. These skills contribute to the growing toolbox that students ultimately bring to capstone design.

Post-graduation Plans of Undergraduate BME Students: Gender, Self-efficacy, Value, and Identity Beliefs

This study investigates career intentions and students’ engineering attitudes in BME, with a focus on gender differences. Data from n = 716 undergraduate biomedical engineering students at a large public research institution in the United States were analyzed using hierarchical agglomerative cluster analysis. Results revealed five clusters of intended post-graduation plans: Engineering Job and Graduate School, Any Job, Non-Engineering Job and Graduate School, Any Option, and Any Graduate School. Women were evenly distributed across clusters; there was no evidence of gendered career preferences. The main findings in regard to engineering attitudes reveal significant differences by cluster in interest, attainment value, utility value, and professional identity, but not in academic self-efficacy. Yet, within clusters the only gender differences were women’s lower engineering academic self-efficacy, interest and professional identity compared to men. Implications and areas of future research are discussed.

"Hands-On, Minds-On, and Science-Up": A Concept-Based Learning Laboratory With a Taste of Research Experience for an Undergraduate Biomedical Engineering Course.

In this paper, we bridged faculty research expertise with concept-based learning pedagogy to design and implement a unique laboratory experience for biomedical engineering undergraduate students enrolled in the biomechanics of tissues course at the University of Calgary. This laboratory aimed to increase student engagement, facilitate deeper understanding of course content, and provide an opportunity for accelerated undergraduate research through "hands-on," "minds-on," and "science-up" learning components, respectively. The laboratory exercise involves testing aortic tissues using a novel miniaturized planar biaxial machine. This type of machine is normally reserved for use in the context of research. The relevance of the proposed laboratory as a teaching tool was assessed using student feedback. Results indicate an overall valuable and positive learning experience for students.

Creating Virtual Spaces to Build Community Among Students Entering an Undergraduate Biomedical Engineering Program.

Creating Virtual Spaces to Build Community Among Students Entering an Undergraduate Biomedical Engineering Program.

Developing a Model for Integrating Professional Practice and Evidence-Based Teaching Practices into BME Curriculum.

Undergraduate biomedical engineering (BME) programs typically consist of courses from several different academic departments combined with BME-specific courses taught by faculty trained in a variety of disciplines. While some students embrace this diversity in courses and disciplinary perspectives, many students struggle with how to translate these experiences into career opportunities. BME students are often concerned that they are perceived as a "jack of all trades, master of none." In 2016, our department sought to find new ways to integrate BME professional practice into our curriculum. Informed by organizational change theory, we asked: (1) is there potential for change; (2) what strategies facilitate change; and (3) how can these strategies be implemented? As a result, we developed an Instructional Design Sequence, a new approach to instruction in which students, post docs, and faculty create short Modules that use evidence-based teaching practices to expose BME students to BME professional practice. This paper describes how the Sequence was conceptualized and demonstrates how theory can be used to inform practice. The resultant Sequence is a transferrable model for transforming engineering education, offering a mechanism for integrating new career relevant curriculum into undergraduate curriculum, while training future educators in instructional evidence-based practices.

Active Game‐Based Learning of Dynamics Modeling and Simulation in Biomedical Systems Engineering

With widening application of systems modeling and simulation in healthcare industry, relevant courses have been created in many undergraduate biomedical engineering curricula to address the need in workforce development. However, it is challenging to teach systems modeling and simulation and effective teaching is demanded. To answer the call, I have used serious games in my teaching in the past few years. In this paper, I first present two interesting educational games and describe the design and implementation of two game‐based active learning modules. I also report several learning outcome assessments and review my self‐reflection during the teaching. Better game design and implementation, as well as further development of objective learning outcome assessments, are included in future plan.