Empathy Enhancement among Engineering Students through Cooperative Problem-Based Learning

The enhancement of empathy was explored among first year chemical engineering students in an Introduction to Engineering course that utilized Cooperative Problem-Based Learning (CPBL). Qualitative data was collected using interviews and peer rating feedback that was conducted three times at the end of every phase of the problem throughout the semester. The interview transcription and peer rating feedback were analysed using thematic analysis and content analysis. The results show an increasing progression in empathy-related remarks, showing that students enhanced their empathy as they go through three CPBL cycles in their teams to learn and solve the problem given throughout the semester.