NRT-IGE: Promoting Creativity in Engineering and Technology Graduate Education through Integration of Arts, Design and Experiential Learning in the Curriculum

Indiana University, Bloomington IN

Investigators

Abstract

Engineering graduate education in the U.S. is considered to be among the best in the world; however, studies demonstrate that American education has been losing competitiveness when compared with that of emerging economies and other developed nations. Members of the U.S. Congress have expressed concern about the health and competitiveness of the nation's colleges and universities. Furthermore, employers often indicate that new university graduates lack creativity and problem solving skills, even when they have advanced degrees in specialized fields. Because creativity and innovation are the driving forces for economic growth, it is critical to infuse innovative thinking and hands-on experience into the engineering and technology graduate curricula. This National Science Foundation Research Traineeship (NRT) award in the Innovations in Graduate Education (IGE) Track to Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) will pilot a new cross-disciplinary education model to achieve these ends. This project will promote creativity and innovation by integrating arts and experiential learning components, such as intense studio training, into engineering and technology graduate curricula. Faculty members in engineering and technology will work with their counterparts in the fine arts to integrate Engineering, Technology, and Arts (ETA) and develop an experimental Design Track in the existing Mechanical Engineering master's program at IUPUI. Students in the proposed ETA Design Track will acquire real-world problem solving skills through short-term programs with industry and national laboratories. This project involves the development of three interdisciplinary courses: (i) Irregular, free-form, and origami inspired structures, (ii) Optimal design of mechatronic systems: toys, robots and interactive structures, and (iii) Environmental pollution and emission control. The courses will be team-developed and taught by faculty from programs in interior design, video art and interactive installations, mechanical engineering, and electrical engineering technology. These three courses will constitute the proposed ETA Design Track and support a new Graduate Certificate in Design. Pedagogical approaches will include problem-based, studio-based, and experiential learning. The project will test the ability of ETA curriculum integration, as well as experiential learning in industry or government laboratories, to enhance creativity and innovation among participating graduate students. Quantitative data will be collected using the Reisman Diagnostic Creativity Assessment and contextualized using student and faculty interview results. In addition, program outcomes will be tracked. Expected program outcomes for the ETA Design Track include: increased integrative learning, innovative thinking, patents, high-quality publications, and start-ups by ETA graduates. The NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) Program is designed to encourage the development and implementation of bold, new, potentially transformative models for STEM graduate education training. The Innovations in Graduate Education Track is dedicated solely to piloting, testing, and evaluating novel, innovative, and potentially transformative approaches to graduate education.