Click on “Download PDF” for the PDF version or on the title for the HTML version.

If you are not an ASABE member or if your employer has not arranged for access to the full-text, Click here for options.

Risk management is an important decision-making tool for professional engineers and technicians. Incorporating personal risk management principles into undergraduate curricula is crucial to instill sound decision-making and knowledge of best safety practices as a foundation for students professional careers. While students may demonstrate mastery of risk management and safety principles through paper and pencil tests and other cognitive exercises, educational research shows they often make poor decisions when it comes to avoiding personal risks in everyday practice. The disconnect between risk awareness and risk avoidance creates a major challenge for engineering educators. To address this problem, the authors propose an over-arching educational approach that relies on targeted student instruction and mentoring both within and outside of the classroom. Key features of this approach include use of classroom activities and student advising techniques to enhance students critical thinking skills, self-esteem and teamwork capability while engaging them in candid discussions about authentic risks in the context of agricultural and biological engineering. Based on a review of educational and psychological literature, the authors provide insights into the adolescent and young-adult risk decision-making process, followed by specific tips and activities for educators to consider when teaching and advising engineering students.