Building Empathy in Students by Developing Cyber-Physical Projects Through Design Thinking

Empathy is a fundamental aspect of human behavior through which people build civilized social and interpersonal relationships. It is related to showing empathy, understanding and support, forming effective communication, dealing with conflict and is part of those factors that contribute to building a more compassionate and humane society. Despite its innate predisposition, the development of empathy is influenced by a number of factors, including learning. Developing projects through design thinking can be an effective way to foster and cultivate it in students. Applying a human-centered method such as design thinking to the process of project work enables them to develop a deeper understanding of others, build empathy, and generate solutions that respond to real-world problems. This paper explores the possibilities for achieving this goal and presents the results of a project-based learning experience integrating design thinking


Introduction
The development of human civilization is in the direction of improving the well-being of people, achieving order and balance.Empathic behavior is the evolutionary result of human socialization, the bond that connects people to each other so that they can live in harmony and ensure their well-being and survival.Research worldwide shows that since the second half of the twentieth century that there has been an unprecedented growth in the development of human intelligence, and each successive generation of children seems to become more intelligent, but emotional skills decline.In today's technological society, more emphasis is being placed on the acquisition of academic knowledge, and emotions are being neglected.A number of authors have pointed out that today's dynamic world poses emotional challenges that nature did not anticipate.Many young people today are focused on their own interests and their goals are related to acquiring social and financial well-being [3, p.67]This way of life is proving detrimental to human emotions and to some extent upsetting their evolutionary plan.The creation of technological solutions, by the next generation of specialists and experts in the field of cyberphysical systems, that are congruent with the emotional perception of a given target group is a necessity that must be emphasized in their training.In the context of this understanding, the formation of emotionally significant qualities, skills and abilities in adolescents through an education in which feelings and emotions are part of the learning process is a necessity and an important element of contemporary educational models.This paper examines the study of cyber-physical systems by students studying at the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics of Paisii Hilyandarski University of Plovdiv through project work integrating the design thinking method and explores the possibility of forming empathy in this process as a key competence of our time.

Empathy
Empathy is a person's ability to feel, understand and share the feelings, thoughts, emotions and experiences of other people.Empathy begins with the ability to mentally put oneself in another person's situation and see the world from their perspective.This requires abstracting from one's own biases, judgments, and preconceptions.Beyond understanding, empathy requires recognizing and connecting with the other person's feelings, sharing their emotions, and responding with concern and empathy.Empathy rejects criticism or judgment, creating a safe and supportive space where people feel understood, valued and accepted for who they are.As the author points out in [4] "empathy correlates positively with prosocial and altruistic behavior and with a number of desirable personality qualities that are conducive to relationship building ".Empathy is a core component of emotional intelligence that helps to understand and manage one's own emotions.Manifestations of empathy contribute to people's own psychological well-being.By providing support, one experiences a sense of purpose and satisfaction.It has a direct bearing on dealing with conflict, communicating effectively, fostering cooperation and is part of those human factors that contribute to a more compassionate and humane society.In [2] the author states that empathy " has the potential to establish unity, enable congruity, achieve harmony, solidify society, invigorate community and enhance humanity ".Empathy is a complex phenomenon that involves multiple cognitive, emotional and social aspects.It is defined as a combination of innate and acquired human abilities, and the development of empathic thinking and behavior is seen as the result of the interplay between genetics, brain development, early experiences, personality development, cultural norms, and social relationships.The development of empathy begins in infancy and continues throughout a person's life.Every person has the potential to develop empathic thinking and behavior.While some people have a natural tendency to be empathetic and supportive, for others empathy needs to be further developed and strengthened through learning, experience, and purposeful cultivation.

Empathy in the context of project-based learning and the design thinking method
The formation of empathy in an educational environment is essential and contributes to the overall development of young people as academically skilled, emotionally intelligent and socially aware individuals.That is why the development of empathic abilities is present in modern education and is part of the latest educational models, approaches and methods.Empathy plays an important role in project-based learning by improving the overall educational process and helping students develop basic life skills.It influences the way students define and frame the problem to be solved, helps them understand the needs, preferences, and emotions of the people affected by the problem, and generate solutions that meet the desires and needs of the users.Empathy fosters collaboration among team members and contributes to effective communication among them.Through empathy, students learn to consider the perspectives of others, overcome disputes and conflicts, and find mutually acceptable solutions.Participating in projects to aspects of empathy helps students develop emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and a heightened sense of social responsibility.By assessing the ethical implications of their decisions, they build skills for responsible decision-making based on empathy.Empathy is a central and foundational element of the design thinking method.It serves as a starting point for understanding the needs, desires and emotions of users and is in direct relation to creating products that resonate with those who will use them.Empathy guides the entire process towards a user-centred approach and is present in every stage of design thinking.The first stage of design thinking focuses entirely on empathy for the users.Identification and emotional engagement with users is performed to gain a deep and true understanding of their needs and emotions and to create an authentic sense of what users are feeling and experiencing.In the next stage, it is empathy that helps frame the problem in a way that resonates with users' actual experiences and needs.Empathy drives insights that inspire creative ideas and generate innovative solutions.Empathy humanizes the process of designing and creating products as the emotional impact and ethical implications they would have on people are considered.Related to an educational environment, the design method and design thinking have multiple intersections that directly correspond to building empathic abilities in learners.All three components emphasize a user-centric approach.In project development, students create solutions that meet user needs.Design thinking prioritizes understanding these needs, and empathy is demonstrated by putting oneself in the position of others.Project development, design thinking, and building empathy are rooted in the real world.Learners engage with authentic problems, scenarios and user experiences, making their learning more meaningful and applicable.Project development is all about problem solving.Design thinking guides students through a structured process to find creative and innovative solutions to these problems, and empathy helps them to truly understand with a focus on people's emotions and needs.All three components considered involve an iterative process.In developing projects, students more often revise their solutions based on feedback.Design thinking involves multiple iterations to refine solutions, and forming empathy is an ongoing process of understanding and adapting to different perspectives.Collaboration and effective communication are critical in project development, design thinking, and building empathy.Students work in teams, collaborate, communicate effectively and communicate empathetically in order to generate creative ideas to solve real-world problems and find innovative solutions.In the process of developing projects, students reflect on their progress.Design thinking involves constant feedback loops, and the formation of empathy encourages reflection on the understanding of others.Therefore, the design method, design thinking, and empathy formation are interrelated, have common ground, and contribute to students' overall learning and development.Their integration contributes to learners' personal growth and professional realization.Students become adept at understanding users' needs, learning to solve complex problems, collaborate and adapt to changing circumstances.This promotes a holistic approach to education that prepares students for success in a rapidly changing and interconnected world.

Specific features of cyber-physical projects
The development of cyber-physical projects has the characteristics of project-based learning, but also has some peculiarities arising from the nature of cyber-physical systems and the specifics of their study.A cyber-physical system refers to a type of integrated system in which physical components are closely coupled with computational and network elements.In a cyber-physical system, the physical and digital worlds are deeply intertwined, allowing real-time interactions between the two domains.Examples of cyber-physical systems are self-driving cars, robots and drones, smart grids, smart homes, a range of medical devices, etc.These systems use modern technologies such as sensors, actuators, embedded systems, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things (IoT) to achieve efficient interactions between the physical and digital realms.In the context of cyber-physical systems, empathy manifests itself through the way these systems are designed, developed and integrated into people's lives.They are required to match the needs, preferences and emotions of users.As the cyber-physical system integrates into everyday life, it is necessary to consider the long-term relationship between users and technology, focusing on trust and engagement.For this purpose, the factors influencing users' interactions with cyber-physical systems-physical environments, cultural norms, ethical considerations, and social dynamics-must be taken into account.When developing cyber-physical systems, it is also necessary to consider the ethical aspect of these systems in relation to the potential emotional, social and personal consequences of these systems for the users.Integrating empathy into the design and development of cyber-physical systems translates into the creation of user-centric and socially responsible technologies.An empathetic cyber-physical system anticipates user needs and responds to emergencies in ways that prioritize user safety and emotional well-being.It can adapt to users' behaviors and emotions.Intuitive interfaces that recognize and respond to users' emotions and intentions enhance the overall experience.For example, systems can adjust lighting, temperature or music in response to users' moods or preferences.Empathy helps ensure that cyber-physical systems are designed inclusively, taking into account the needs of different user groups, including those with different abilities, ages and cultural backgrounds.An empathetic cyber-physical system can be designed to support people with disabilities, improve their quality of life and provide greater independence.In the context of studying cyber-physical systems, it is important to note that they represent a rapidly growing field that provides students with emerging job opportunities and innovations in areas such as manufacturing, healthcare, transportation, energy, etc.As this field becomes increasingly integrated with the physical world, the ability to design, develop, and manage cyber-physical systems becomes a valuable skill.Knowledge of these creates professional prospects for innovation and entrepreneurship, as students can build on this knowledge to develop new solutions, products and services, potentially leading to successful startups.Cyber-physical systems offers lifelong learning opportunities.Their study is a solid foundation for further specialization in areas such as robotics, automation, data analytics, etc. as well as for research on cutting-edge topics such as artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things.Cyber-physical systems have the potential to address global challenges including sustainability, urbanization, energy efficiency, autonomous transport, access to healthcare, and more.By acquiring the necessary knowledge, students can be part of these processes and contribute to building a better future.

Target group
The study of the possibility of building empathy in students in the process of developing cyber-physical projects through the design thinking method was conducted in the course "Parametric and Generative Design.Software packages for 3D modeling of cyber-physical systems" with 2nd, 3rd and 4th year students from the Mathematics, Informatics and Information Technologies, Software Engineering, Software Technologies and Design majors of the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics of Plovdiv University "Paisii Hilendarski".Within 10 academic weeks students developed a cyber-physical project on a topic of their choice.

Organisational structure of the project work
The work of the project includes five stages: introduction of the students to the project, formation of teams, development of the project, presentation and evaluation of the project.Stage 1: Introducing students with the project The lecturer presented the project by introducing the students to the fields of application the project could be related to, the requirements it should meet and the evaluation criteria.He stated the aims, objectives and expected outcomes of the training and clarified the framework, nature and mechanism of the project work.Stage 2: Formation of teams The students were divided into 10 teams of four members.The teams were formed by testing with the Eysenck questionnaire.Four team roles were identified based on the characteristics of the individual types: -A leader who organizes and directs the work of the team; -Creative, which is a source of creative thinking; -Competent who possesses a thorough knowledge of cyber-physical systems and analytical thinking -A contractor who performs specifically assigned tasks in a conscientious and responsible manner The teams were formed so that all four team roles were present in each team.Stage 3: Project Development To develop the cyber-physics projects, students were given a sequence of steps to follow in the form of an algorithm to develop a cyber-physical project.This algorithm integrates the steps of both designing and design thinking methods.A block diagram of the developed algorithm is depicted in Fig. 1.

Figure 1. Block diagram of cyber-physical project development algorithm
Each of the steps of the algorithm is related to the implementation of specific activities, which are presented in Table 1.

Steps Activities
Step One: Defining the project topic Choose a topic that relates to developing a specific cyberphysical system for a specific target user group.
Step Two: Empathy Put yourself in the shoes of the end user and try to understand their needs and experience their feelings and emotions.
Step Three: Define the problem Specify the application area, the globality of the problem and the human aspect.Define and analyze the problem with focus and empathy for the target user Step Four: Study Find the information available and the currently proposed solutions to the problem.
Step Five: Generating ideas Generate a large number of ideas for a solution to the problem without analyzing their feasibility, relevance and appropriateness by applying Edward de Bono's techniques of creative thinking, brainstorming, different heuristic methods.
Step Six: Evaluation and selection of ideas Analyze the feasibility and implementation of each of the proposed ideas.
Step Seven: Choosing a solution Make a final choice for the solution to the problem based on the following criteria: feasibility, appropriateness, empathy for users, originality, creativity, effectiveness, necessity, aesthetics, economy.
Students were given freedom of choice in terms of project area and topic, means and pace of work.At each stage of the project development process, teams were guided and advised by the professors.Necessary resources were and the necessary environment was created in which students could freely seek and analyze information, exchange ideas and hypotheses, apply knowledge from different scientific fields, develop analytical and critical thinking, find solutions to complex and undefined problems, develop and exhibit social skills.
Stage 4: Preparation of a presentation and presenting the project to the other teams Part of the work of the teams was to prepare a presentation to present their project to the audience.The main requirement for the presentation was to contain information on: the purpose and application area of the developed cyber-physical system; its components and its working principle; the target group and the associated problem to be solved with the developed cyber-physical system; design elements and design solutions tied to the needs and emotions of the target user; components, features and parameters that have focus and empathy for the target user; the cyber-physical device modelled in a 3D environment; basic simulation in Thinkercad of the main parts of the product and the software that goes with them; UI mockups of the product interface; a start-up company model based on a business plan; Stage 5: Project evaluation The evaluation of the project was based on the following predefined criteria: the relevance of the chosen problem to be solved, innovation and creativity of the proposed solutions, conceptual design and implementation of the developed cyber-physical system, with focus and empathy for users.

Research methods
The study of the empathic abilities of the students was conducted using survey and research observation methods.Students were administered a questionnaire to determine their empathic abilities prior to Step Eight: Planning activities Develop a sequence of steps to implement the chosen solution and realize the final product Step Nine: Prototyping Create a prototype of the product using different design software: 3D modeling, visualization and 3D printing Step Ten: Testing Test the performance of the prototype Step Eleven: Feed back Conduct a survey or poll of a target group of end-users on the implemented product /effectiveness, relevance, necessity, aesthetics, safety, feasibility, design/ based on a prototype.
Step Twelve: Prototype Improvement Make appropriate changes and improvements to the prototype based on the survey conducted and empirical feedback data analysis performed.
Step Thirteen: Implement the final product Produce a final version of the cyber-physical system beginning and after completing the project.The questionnaire was an adapted version of professional self-assessment tests of empathy.It includes 15 statements, for each of which one of the possible answers, YES or NO, has to be chosen, depending on whether or not it applies to the respondent.The questionnaire with a legend for processing the result is attached in Appendix 1 to the article.The research observation included an assessment of students' empathic abilities based on the following six indicators: -understanding the needs and requirements of the potential user recognition of users' feelings and emotions responding with concern and empathy to the needs and demands of users empathizing with the feelings and emotions of users generating ideas and solutions that meet the needs and requirements of users generating ideas and solutions that have an emotional impact on the end user Through these indicators, the changes that occurred in students' empathic abilities as a result of their work on implementing cyber-physical projects by applying the design thinking method were identified.

Results of the student survey
The results obtained from the input survey of the students before the start of the project are summarized in Table 2 and presented graphically in Figure 2. Table 2. Input survey The results thus obtained show the highest percentage of students with an average level of empathic ability -43%.Students with high level of empathic ability were 24% and those with low level were 33%.These data are an indicator of unsatisfactory empathic abilities and indicate the need for conducting targeted training for their development in young people.
The results of the student exit survey, after the projects were finalized, are presented in Table 3 and Figure 3.  3. Output survey After conducting project-based learning with the integration of design thinking, there was a significant increase in the percentage of students with a high level of empathic ability.They accounted for 58% of the total number of respondents, an increase of 34% compared to the number of students before the training started.There is another positive trend -the strong decrease in the percentage of students with The comparative analysis of the results of the entry and exit surveys showed that after developing cyber-physical projects through design thinking, the percentage of students with a high level of empathy increased by a factor of 2.42 and the percentage with a low level decreased by 25%, which is more than four times.The difference in average levels was 9%.Through the research observation method, changes in students' empathic abilities were tracked throughout the project.The levels of manifestation of the six empathy indicators set were recorded at the second, sixth and tenth weeks of the project.The data obtained are summarized in Table 5, Table 6 and Table 7 and presented graphically in Figure 5, Figure 6 and Figure 7.
At the start of the cyber-physical projects (Table5, Figure5), it is observed that in terms of all the set indicators of empathy, the percentages of students with medium and low levels prevail.Nearly 1/3 of the students understand the needs and demands of the potential users and they are able to respond with concern and empathy.It proves significantly more difficult for students to recognize the feelings and emotions of users (indicator 2).Only 12% have a high degree of manifestation of this indicator.There is a strong prevalence of the percentage of students with low levels (56%).Those with medium levels are 32%.Only 8% of the students manage to truly empathize with the feelings and emotions of the users.64% of them fail in this task (indicator 4).Thus, the results obtained from the initial observation, during the second week of the project, show the need to develop empathic abilities in students through targeted learning activities.
From the data recorded at week 6 after the start of the project (Table 6, Figure 6), there was an increase in the percentage of students with high and medium levels of empathic indicators at the expense of a decrease in the percentage of low levels.As the cyber-physical project development progressed through the design thinking method, students became significantly better at understanding users' needs, feelings and emotions and were able to respond empathetically to their needs (indicators 1,2 and 3).Students with medium levels of manifestation predominate.However, a large number of them still fail to put themselves purely emotionally in the place of the users and empathize with their thoughts, feelings and emotions (indicator 4).The data show an overall percentage of students with medium and high levels for this indicator of 53%, and with a low level of 47%.In week six, teams reach the stage of idea and solution generation.Good skills are observed in most of them to generate ideas that meet the needs and demands of the users.48% of the students have medium levels of manifestation, 36% have high levels and only 16% have low levels of indicator 5.In terms of generating ideas and solutions that are also emotionally connected to users (indicator 6), the percentage of students with high levels is still low at 21%.Medium levels and low levels prevail, 38% and 41% respectively.The last recording of the levels of the emotional indicators was at week 10 when the projects were completed and presented (Table7, Figure 7).6 Generating ideas and solutions that meet the needs and demands of users and influence their feelings and emotions 9% 48% 43% Generating ideas and solutions that satisfy the needs and demands of users and impact their feelings and emotions, the percentage of students with medium and high levels is approximately equal, 48% and 43% respectively.Students who fail to increase this skill are only 9%.Thus, the results obtained from the research observation and research inquiry provide a basis for claiming that in the process of developing cyber-physical projects with the integration of the design thinking method, students improve their empathic abilities, gain a better understanding of other people's needs and wants, are able to recognize and empathize with people's thoughts, feelings and emotions, build empathy and develop a need to provide support and help when needed.Indicative of the ability to form empathy through the development of cyber-physical systems with the design thinking method is the engagement and increased interest by students in considering areas and issues related to purely human and emotional aspects of the target user.Six of the ten teams chose to develop such cyber-physical systems.

Conclusions
In this paper an author's methodology for the development of empathy in students from majors related to mathematics, computer and engineering sciences as a key quality for generating user-centric empathic cyber-physical systems is presented.The training conducted through the development of cyber-physical projects with the application of the design thinking method in the discipline "Parametric and generative design.Software Packages for 3D Modeling of Cyber-Physical Systems' replicates the real-world interdisciplinary teamwork required in the development of cyber-physical systems.Students develop abilities to analyze complex problems, identify innovative solutions and adapt to unforeseen challenges.
The study of cyber-physical systems builds in them skills to design, develop and manage complex systems connecting the digital and physical worlds.Working in a team teaches students to cooperate, to communicate effectively, to deal with conflict situations, to show creativity and creative thinking.
By developing empathy in current students studying cyberphysical systems, we enhance meaningful communication between future experts in the field.Furthermore, through its development in the future professionals, empathy actively bolsters the process of solving problems and tasks, particularly in the context of interdisciplinary research and projects, both at local and international level.It plays a pivotal role in the generation of optimized solutions tailored to the specific needs of the target group.
ANNEX 1 Questionnaire to assess empathic abilities Instructions: the empathy assessment questionnaire contains 15 statements to which you must answer YES or NO depending on whether the answer YES applies to you or NO applies to you.At the end of the questionnaire a legend is shown to determine the level of empathic ability you possess.

Figure 4 . 3 .
Figure 4. Students' levels of empathy as determined by a survey 4.3.Observational research results

Figure 7 .
Figure 7. Levels of empathy-week 10 It has been reduced to 8%.Students with an average level of empathic ability at the end of the training were 34%.

Table 6 .
Levels of empathy-week 10 Levels of empathy