Rubaiya Murshed
she/her/hers
Assistant Professor
Mechanical Engineering
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Biography
Dr. Murshed joined the Mechanical Engineering Department at Embry‑Riddle Aeronautical University in Fall 2023, following the completion of her Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She currently teaches Thermodynamics and Engineering Materials Science. Her research expertise is in the fabrication and characterization of photovoltaic materials, and she is presently expanding her work into engineering education research. Her debut publication at the ASEE annual conference received the second best paper award in the New Engineering Educator division.
Degrees Earned
- Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering (2017-2023); University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), NV, USA Dissertation: Fabrication and Characterization of Pb and Pb-free Perovskite Materials for Photovoltaic Applications. - MS in Mechanical Engineering (UNLV, 2022) - B.sc in Mechanical Engineering (Military Institute of Science and Technology, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 2011-2014
Research Areas
Engineering; Materials Science; other
Research Interests
As an assistant professor in mechanical engineering, my primary research interests focus on engineering education and the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into educational practices. I am passionate about advancing innovative pedagogical approaches and exploring how technology can personalize learning, enhance student engagement, and streamline instructional quality. As a newer faculty member, I recognize the value of institutional support, mentorship, and collaborative opportunities to help develop and expand my research agenda in engineering education. Most students at my institution tend to focus on aerospace and aeronautical engineering, which creates a need for research and scholarly support for those of us pursuing different or less common areas within mechanical engineering. This support is essential to help develop my research and enrich the diverse academic interests of the student body. I seek guidance in building a robust scholarly foundation that will influence my teaching and contribute to a dynamic learning environment for students. My goal is to pursue work that not only strengthens engineering education research but also directly impacts classroom practice, leveraging AI to create effective, and forward-looking educational experiences for all learners.
Topical Areas
Artificial Intelligence and Intelligent Systems; Educational Sciences; Materials Engineering; Mechanical Engineering
Research Synergy
The central thesis of this project is based on “How does integrating AI-assisted narratives into engineering homework assignments influence student engagement, perceived connection between coursework and real-world engineering practice, and understanding of ethical use and limitations of AI ?” This project addresses a well-documented knowledge gap in engineering education, where traditional homework often lacks authentic context, resulting in lower engagement and weaker connections to societal and professional responsibilities. Existing curricula rarely equip students with the skills to critically assess emerging technologies such as AI, especially regarding their ethical implications and proper use. By combining narrative pedagogy with AI tools, this study explores an innovative strategy to make learning meaningful, while simultaneously supporting the development of reflective, ethically aware engineers. This scholarly inquiry is significant, as it supplements discipline knowledge in several ways. First, it empirically examines how narrative and AI influence student motivation, the perceived practical relevance of academic learning, and ethical considerations, areas that traditional problem-solving methods do not fully address. Second, it aligns with international accreditation directives and calls for ethically responsible, technologically literate graduates. Finally, this project fills a creative and scholarly gap by investigating AI's dual role as a narrative generator and a subject of ethical scrutiny, thus contributing actionable insights to the evolving “big picture” of engineering pedagogy. (I am open to collaborative effort in any kind of engineering education projects. I am also open to projects related to Sustainability in Engineering)
Motivation
As I previously mentioned in the application- As a newer faculty member, I recognize the value of institutional support, mentorship, and collaborative opportunities to help develop and expand my research agenda in engineering education. Most students at my institution tend to focus on aerospace and aeronautical engineering, which means less collaborative opportunity for me, which creates a need for research and scholarly support for those of us pursuing different or less common areas within mechanical engineering. This support is essential to help develop my research and enrich the diverse academic interests of the student body. I have also mentioned earlier in this application that I am open to collaborative effort in any kind of engineering education projects. I am also open to projects related to Sustainability in Engineering.
Supervising Students Plan
We will start with initial literature search on narrative-pedagogy and AI literacy, which will expand into a broader literature review of pedagogical evidence and the latest practices. We will synthesize findings into a summary of pedagogical evidence, which will inform the next stage of the project. The focus will shift to building a foundational understanding of AI in education, particularly its fundamental uses, ethical considerations, and limitations. This knowledge will serve as a basis for the design stage, during which we will create contextual narratives for student assignments that integrate AI and simultaneously investigate the role and limitations of AI in this pedagogical context. Following this, we will connect pedagogical evidence to the outcomes of our design and investigation, ensuring a strong theoretical grounding for the practical tools developed. The project will transition to empirical data collection process. We will design a survey aimed at capturing student perceptions and learning outcomes, followed by the collection of student feedback. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches will be applied to the data analysis. In this process, I, as a faculty, will train and supervise the student from literature search to data analysis. Our ultimate goal is to produce data that can go into publication.
Student Merit
I have already initiated discussions with my student regarding the research project. As an initial step, I developed the project thesis and background and provided guidance throughout this process. My student is eager to participate in research activities and gain meaningful experience. Although he is a sophomore and may not have extensive research experience yet, his strong enthusiasm and curiosity equip him to successfully navigate the research process. Additionally, his academic performance is excellent.
Lightning Talk Title
Adoption of Artificial Intelligence in Empowering Undergraduate Engineering Education
Keywords
Engineering Education; Artificial Intelligence; Pedagogy; instructional development; faculty development; classroom technology