coffee&LEARN: Why Engineering Students Lose Empathy Despite Curriculum Emphasis

Engineering educators increasingly recognize empathy as essential for humanity-centered design, yet our mixed-methods study reveals a paradox: while first-year engineering students show significant growth in cognitive empathy and self-awareness, these gains disappear by second year, with all empathy measures declining substantially. 

This presentation shares findings from a longitudinal study tracking empathy development with over 800 engineering students at a Canadian research university. Using validated empathy scales and in-depth focus groups, we uncovered key mechanisms behind this decline due to curricular approaches and learning environment. 

While students intellectually understand empathy's importance, they simultaneously adopt a culture of emotional detachment, prioritizing technical mastery and treating empathy as a structured process rather than an affective practice.

The presentation will explore implications for curriculum design, including strategies to sustain empathy development and integrate affective dimensions without triggering fatigue or systematization 

About the speakers:

Brian Frank is the DuPont Canada Chair in Engineering Education Research and Development in the Stephen. J. R. Smith Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, and a Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Queen’s University.  His scholarly interests are related to assessment and educational technology in engineering education, and change in engineering education. He is a past-president and co-founder of the Canadian Engineering Education Association, and in 2025 he received the Engineers Canada Medal of Distinction in Engineering Education. 

Rubaina Khan is an engineering education research associate in the Stephen. J. R. Smith Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, and doctoral candidate in Curriculum and Pedagogy at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto. Her dissertation focuses on how undergraduate engineering students develop their identity as engineering designers through curriculum experience and reflective practice.  Ms. Khan was recognized for her collaborative research work and for being a champion in supporting the engineering education community with the Canadian Engineering Education Association – Student Award in 2022.