Abstract:
The evolving role of the engineer necessitates the development of innovation skills among engineering undergraduates. Short term intensive projects are an effective way to supplement curricular design and innovation activities. In this paper, we present the findings of a study investigating the effects of a six-week invention program for engineering undergraduates. While the structure of the program is similar to a typical hackathon, the extended duration and an explicit emphasis on patenting differentiates this program from other hackathons. Focusing on self-efficacy as it is known to have a relationship with performance, we ask two research questions. Firstly, we ask if the program had effects on participants' engineering design, innovation, public speaking and patenting self-efficacy, and secondly, we investigate participant perceptions regarding the program features, and their learning during the program. Through a combined quantitative and qualitative approach, we found that participants' self-efficacy increased, and uncovered multiple positive outcomes resulting from the program, including skill development and transformative identity formation. Based on our findings, we offer guidelines for adoption by other engineering educators.