Centerpiece Projects: Developing Large-scale, Interdisciplinary Design Experiences for Freshman Engineering

Franklin W. Olin College Of Engineering, Needham MA

Investigators

Abstract

Over the last twenty years, NSF and the engineering community have called for systemic changes in engineering education, including a shift to interdisciplinary approaches, increased emphasis on teaming and communication, and greater engineering practice and design throughout the curriculum. Our project involves centerpiece projects, a substantial, motivational, design project that reinforces and integrates science and math content for the freshman year. These projects could lower the barriers associated with adoption of integrated curricula and offer synergistic reinforcement of benefits not fully exploited in other curricular approaches. Our project involves the development, implementation, and assessment of prototype curricular materials for centerpiece projects. The results of our study will be disseminated via publications, presentations, and electronic distribution. The interdisciplinary centerpiece projects are transferable to a variety of institutions, and a full development program, including beta testing at other institutions, will be pursued should the prototypes prove promising. Centerpiece projects are grounded in established pedagogical methods, address calls for interdisciplinary approaches, and are an attempt to help attract and retain members of underrepresented groups. In short, centerpiece projects represent a significant opportunity to improve retention and learning in the freshman year.