Institute of Engineering Education and Leadership
We propose the creation of an Institute for Engineering Education and Leadership to address educational issues that cross departmental boundries within the School of Engineering, and to provide:
- Resources for Students
- Resources for Faculty, and
- Resources for Curriculum and Program Development
Any proposal for a new administrative structure naturally raises the fear of an added layer of bureaucracy, and prompts the traditional engineering question: “Is something really broken?" Certainly the School of Engineering is not broken, but we believe that a School-wide coordinating structure is needed if the School is to achieve its educational goals. The following are some of the issues that we identified.
- The School has no formal means to plan, to allocate resources to, or to monitor programs, courses, or facilities that cross department lines, such as the RED-K multi-disciplinary design facility, an engineering minor for non-engineering majors, or a new engineering leadership degree program.
- The School has almost no faculty development programs, programs to help faculty teach better, to use more effective pedagogy, to develop new courses, and to effectively use new technology. Similarly, the School needs to develop a strong program of career development for its graduate students who seek to enter academia. We pride ourselves on not having graduate students teach classes, but this puts our students at a competitive disadvantage when applying for positions at the best universities. These are programs that span departments.
- To develop engineering leaders we need modules or courses in areas that span departments: professionalism and ethics, leadership, management, entrepreneurial skills, and communications.
- Increasing the retention of aspiring engineering students during the critical first two years requires efforts by an organization outside any one department. Similarly, pipeline development and the recruitment of underrepresented groups requires a School-wide effort.
- The School needs a central contact point for industry, community groups, and other schools that are interested in suggesting or participating in projects, cooperative programs, and outreach.
- Increasing our national visibility in engineering education will require a directed, focused effort that only a School-wide organization can provide.
We believe an Institute will facilitate the solution of these issues, and others. We are working on assembling an advisory board to help us further define the mission, the structure, and the implementation of the Institute.
