Two examples of the implications of self-determination theory in engineering education will be presented. The first example focuses on a course designed for sophomore electrical engineering students at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. These students, who mostly study mathematics and physics in their first year, feel disconnected both from the discipline of electrical engineering and the Department of Electrical Engineering itself. The course “Introductory Project in Electrical Engineering” is intended to expose the students to electrical engineering, strengthen their sense of relatedness to the Department and increase their motivation toward their studies. The core of the course is a team-based design project of a window cleaning robot. The second example deals with a high-school course on engineering design. This course has been developed in light of the acute shortage in engineers in Israel and aims to raise high-school students’ interest in engineering. On the course the students complete – on a team basis – various engineering tasks utilizing the LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Education EV3 kit. Insights obtained from the two courses will be discussed in view of self-determination theory.

Bio Aharon (Ari) Gero holds a BA in Physics (Summa Cum Laude), a BSc in Electrical Engineering (Cum Laude), an MSc in Electrical Engineering, and a PhD in Theoretical Physics, all from the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. In addition, he has an MBA (Cum Laude) from the University of Haifa, Israel. Dr. Gero is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Education in Science and Technology at the Technion where he heads the Electrical Engineering Education Research Group. Before joining the Technion, he was an instructor at the Israeli Air-Force Flight Academy. Dr. Gero's research focuses on electrical engineering education and interdisciplinary education that combines physics with electronics, such as electro-optics and microelectronics education. Dr. Gero has received the Israeli Air-Force Flight Academy Award for Outstanding Instructor two times and the Technion's Award for Excellence in Teaching ten times. In 2006 he received the Israeli Air-Force Commander's Award for Excellence, and in 2016 was awarded the Yanai Prize for Excellence in Academic Education. Dr. Gero is on Sabbatical leave from the Technion and is currently with the School of Engineering Education, Purdue University.