About

Dr. Diana Bairaktarova is an associate professor in the Department of Engineering Education at Virginia Tech, where she is also an affiliate faculty in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and a faculty member in Human-Centered Design. She has over fifteen years of experience working as a Design and Manufacturing Engineer. Before joining Virginia Tech, she served as an assistant professor of engineering practice at the University of Oklahoma, teaching fundamental and engineering design courses from a multidisciplinary perspective and implementing design thinking frameworks. Her research focuses on abilities such as spatial visualization, mechanical aptitude, and creativity, as well as ethical and empathic design, cyber learning, and technology-enhanced learning environments. She leads the research group ACE(D), which investigates learning environments, factors impacting student performance, and creativity within engineering education. Dr. Bairaktarova's work aims to translate research findings into practical pedagogical approaches by designing contemporary learning environments that reflect the engineering work ethos. Her goal is to support an innovative and inclusive engineering profession for the 21st century.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Engineering
• Psychology
• Human–computer interaction
• Mathematics education
• Political Science
• Artificial Intelligence
• Machine Learning
• Mechanical engineering
• Pedagogy
• Medicine
• Programming language
• Knowledge management
• Data science
• Medical education
• Engineering drawing
• Management science

Selected publications

• ‘Not just one winner’ – where empathy and community engagement meet

  European Journal of Engineering Education · 2026-03-27

  article
  PublisherDOI

• A Critical Evaluation of a Mindfulness-Based Intervention Integrated into First-year Engineering Classrooms

  2025-10-01

  articleOpen access

  Engineering learners must develop skills to design holistic solutions that take competing and complex economic, environmental, and social factors into account. Yet, these skills are not simply cognitive in nature. To develop holistic solutions, engineering learners must develop their affective attitudes so that they can gain an awareness of inequities and injustices in the

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Addressing Wicked Problems Through Empathy-enhanced Design-based Team Learning

  Proceedings from the International Research Symposium on Problem-Based Learning (IRSPBL) · 2025-11-14

  articleOpen access

  This practice paper aims at contributing to the conversation about caring pedagogies and sustainable engineering education by focusing on empathy, ‘the ability to understand people by perceiving or experiencing their life situations’. Based on our experiences as engineering educators in Europe and North America, we offer examples of how design-based learning can be enhanced through the purposeful integration of empathy nurturing activities at every stage of the team project work. More specifically, we describe an approach in which empathy is an explicit focus of learning activities and an approach in which empathy is a more implicit learning outcome that is embedded within broader transversal learning goals. The design projects we offer as illustrations center on ‘wicked problems’ that affect various stakeholders beyond technical experts. By encouraging a decentralized, multi-perspective approach, wicked problems can enhance a caring pedagogy in project-based learning. By integrating empathy with technical expertise, be it explicitly or in more implicit ways, we highlight the crucial role of emotional intelligence, ethical decision- making, and interpersonal skills in engineering practice—an approach that cultivates responsibility and equips individuals to tackle real-world challenges with compassion and ethical insight.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Empathy and Education for Sustainable Development

  Proceedings from the International Research Symposium on Problem-Based Learning (IRSPBL) · 2025-11-14

  articleOpen access

  The engineering skills required for the 21st century and the green transition go beyond technical knowledge. Sustainability problems are multidimensional and require consideration of multiple perspectives. Empathy plays a fundamental role in enabling the development of more humanistic and socially constructed skills required to act for sustainability. It is an essential element of human-centred design and ethical behaviour, as well as engineering teamwork, engagement with diverse stakeholders, and ability to work in intercultural settings. Engineers must relate to the needs of the primary user and empathise with those (in)directly affected by their decisions. This highlights the importance of helping engineering students cultivate and apply empathy. However, little research has explored the influence of students’ empathy on education outcomes for sustainable development. The paper presents an overview of key publications in education for sustainable development (ESD) - the first step of a state-of-the-art review which is part of a larger study on empathic engineering education for sustainable development. The overview is guided by the research question “How is empathy described and framed in current sustainable education policies and frameworks?”. The paper provides a time-framed overview of the current policies and educational frameworks and identifies directions for future work on embedding empathy in engineering education for sustainable development.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• WIP - Conceptualizing Teacher Empathy in Engineering Education: Distinguishing Key Constructs and Contextualizing Definitions

  2025-11-02

  article

  This work in progress research category paper examines the conceptualization of teacher empathy in engineering education, distinguishing it from related constructs and contextualizing its role in student-centered learning. While teacher empathy is recognized as a key factor in fostering learning environments, it can be a difficult concept to define clearly due to its similarities with related constructs such as caring or instructional design frameworks. This lack of conceptual distinction affects how empathy is integrated into faculty development programs and enacted in engineering classrooms. This study synthesizes existing definitions of teacher empathy, differentiates it from related constructs, and proposes a contextspecific conceptualization for engineering education. Using a qualitative research design, this study reviews and synthesizes literature on teacher empathy to identify key dimensions relevant to engineering instructors. Preliminary findings suggest that while teacher empathy involves cognitive, emotional, and motivational components, its application is shaped by disciplinary norms that emphasize technical rigor. These insights highlight the need for targeted faculty development initiatives that balance empathetic teaching with disciplinary expectations. By clarifying the role of teacher empathy in engineering education, this research lays the groundwork for the broader work exploring ecological factors that influence empathy in teaching. Ultimately, this work aims to inform instructional practices, faculty training programs, and policies that support student success through empathetic teaching approaches.

  PublisherDOI

• Exploring Students’ Experiences with Mindfulness Meditations in a First-Year General Engineering Course

  Education Sciences · 2024-05-29 · 4 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  With growing mental health concerns among college students, they need to effectively develop skills to alleviate stress amidst the demands of university life. Teaching mindfulness skills to engineering students early in their programs, such as during introductory courses, may provide students with the tools they need to effectively cope with academic stressors, support well-being, and mitigate mental health concerns. This study aimed to understand the variation in experiences of engineering students who participated in weekly mindfulness meditation during a first-year cornerstone engineering course. This study used a thematic analysis approach to analyze students’ in-class, weekly reflections from eight meditation exercises across two course sections. The frequency of codes and themes were then analyzed across meditation types to identify trends in student experiences. Our results show that the most common student experience from engaging in mindfulness meditation was feeling less stressed, calmer, and more relaxed. Other positive experiences include feeling more energized and focused. Some students, however, did report some negative experiences, such as distress and tiredness. The Dynamic Breathing exercise, in particular, showed higher rates of negative experiences than other meditation types. The results also demonstrate that different types of meditations produce different student experiences. Meditation exercises with open monitoring components showed higher rates of insight/awareness and difficulty focusing attention than focused attention meditations. These findings indicate that utilizing weekly mindfulness exercises in introductory engineering courses can benefit students’ overall mental health and well-being when adequately implemented.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• A Comparison Study of Engineering Standards Taught in Mechanical Engineering Programs in Two Countries

  2024-02-07

  articleOpen access

  I was born and raised in Mandi Bahauddin, a small city whose claim to fame is that

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Enhancing engineering education: Investigating the impact of mobile devices on learning in a thermal-fluids course

  International Journal of Mechanical Engineering Education · 2024-05-21 · 1 citations

  article

  The COVID-19 pandemic has affected learning at all levels; particularly, in higher education, where levels of independence and self-motivation are required during distance learning. In engineering, distance learning adds another degree of difficulty to an already complex field. Comprehension in engineering requires the repeated use of diagrams, high-level charts, and practice problems. Mobile devices, combined with a technology-enhanced curriculum, provide an excellent platform for learning in engineering as it allows for clear illustration and the transfer of complex ideas at any time and place. In alignment with the social-constructivist framework, these facets of mobile technology provide additional avenues for student engagement and the extension of learning goals. This study utilized the Triple E Framework and a mixed methods approach to investigate the impact of mobile devices on engineering students’ learning in a thermal-fluids course. The overall aim was to understand how mobile technology, combined with a technology-enhanced curriculum, impacts engineering students’ engagement, enhancement, and extension of learning. Findings reveal that students perceived increased levels of engagement when utilizing mobile devices in their learning practices. However, instructional methods were identified to be the key factor leading to engagement. A small effect size of 0.37 was noticed, and a post hoc power analysis resulted in a test power of 0.55. Though a significant difference between students who did and did not utilize mobile devices was not apparent, students with university loaned tablets (iPads) had a larger increase in learning than students without. This paper is based on the author's master's thesis titled “Affordances of Mobile Technology to Facilitate Learning in Undergraduate Thermal-Fluid Sciences,” the represented data reflects content from the same.

  PublisherDOI

• Ethics and engineering design foundations

  2024-11-25

  book-chapterOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  This chapter delves into the intrinsic ethical considerations embedded in engineering design. It begins by defining engineering design and classifying the realm's diverse manifestations. The stages of the engineering design process are systematically examined to assess how ethical considerations intertwine with design processes and to provide a holistic understanding of how ethics permeates each developmental phase. A central theme of the chapter involves the ethical implications arising from the inherently social aspect of engineering design. The interconnectedness between design decisions and their outcomes on the broader social fabric is examined, emphasizing the role of ethical awareness in fostering responsible engineering practices. Subsequently, the chapter details strategies for integrating ethics into engineering design education, showcasing diverse educational models that effectively instill ethical consciousness in future engineers. Further, drawing insights from the interdisciplinary field of Science and Technology Studies (STS), the chapter synthesizes perspectives that enrich the discourse on ethics in engineering design. Integrating theoretical frameworks from STS, the chapter aims to deepen our understanding of the intricate relationship between technology, society, and ethical responsibility within the context of engineering design. The chapter concludes by offering actionable recommendations for enhancing engineering design education.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Board 197: A Gamified Approach for Active Exploration to Discover Systematic Solutions for Fundamental Engineering Problems

  2024-02-07

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Previous studies have convincingly shown that traditional, content-centered, and didactic teaching methods are not effective for developing a deep understanding and knowledge transfer. Nor does it adequately address the development of critical problem-solving skills. Active and collaborative instruction, coupled with effective means to encourage student engagement, invariably leads to better student learning outcomes irrespective of academic discipline. Despite these findings, the existing construction engineering programs, for the most part, consist of a series of fragmented courses that mainly focus on procedural skills rather than on the fundamental and conceptual knowledge that helps students become innovative problem-solvers. In addition, these courses are heavily dependent on traditional lecture-based teaching methods focused on well-structured and closed-ended problems that prepare students to plug variables into equations to get the answer. Existing programs rarely offer a systematic approach to allow students to develop a deep understanding of the engineering core concepts and discover systematic solutions for fundamental problems. Without properly understanding these core concepts, contextualized in domain-specific settings, students are not able to develop a holistic view that will help them to recognize the big picture and think outside the box to come up with creative solutions for arising problems. The long history of empirical learning in the field of construction engineering shows the significant potential of cognitive development through direct experience and reflection on what works in particular situations. Of course, the complex nature of the construction industry in the twenty-first century cannot afford an education through trial and error in the real environment. However, recent advances in computer science can help educators develop virtual environments and gamification platforms that allow students to explore various scenarios and learn from their experiences. This study aims to address this need by assessing the effectiveness of guided active exploration in a digital game environment on students' ability to discover systematic solutions for fundamental problems in construction engineering. To address this objective, through a research project funded by the NSF Division of Engineering Education and Centers (EEC), we designed and developed a scenario-based interactive digital game, called Zebel, to guide students solve fundamental problems in construction scheduling. The proposed gamified pedagogical approach was designed based on the Constructivism learning theory and a framework that consists of six essential elements: (1) modeling; (2) reflection; (3) strategy formation; (4) scaffolded exploration; (5) debriefing; and (6) articulation. We also designed a series of pre- and post-assessment instruments for empirical data collection to assess the effectiveness of the proposed approach. The proposed gamified method was implemented in a graduate-level construction planning and scheduling course. The outcomes indicated that students with no prior knowledge of construction scheduling methods were able to discover systematic solutions for fundamental scheduling problems through their experience with the proposed gamified learning method.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• Collaborative Research: vObjects - Understanding their Utility to Enhance Learning of Abstract and Complex Engineering Concepts

  NSF · $230k · 2017–2022

Frequent coauthors

• Demetra Evangelou

  Purdue University West Lafayette

  34 shared

• Mary Pilotte

  Purdue University West Lafayette

  33 shared

• Monica Cox

  American Society For Engineering Education

  32 shared

• Ayatollah Yehia

  University of British Columbia

  20 shared

• Mohammad Ilbeigi

  Stevens Institute of Technology

  20 shared

• Devin K. Harris

  University of Virginia

  20 shared

• Abiola Akanmu

  Virginia Tech

  16 shared

• Krishna Pakala

  Boise State University

  13 shared

Labs

• Engineering EducationPI

Education

• Doctor of Philosophy, Engineering Education

  Purdue University

  2013

Awards & honors

• W.S. "Pete" White Innovation in Engineering Education Award,…
• XCaliber Award (eXceptional, high-CALIBER contributions to t…
• Engineering Design Graphics Division Innovation Award, Ameri…
• Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Award, Virginia Tech (2…
• Best Paper Award, International Division, ASEE (2018)