Engineering is all about constant improvement and innovation. Why shouldn’t engineering education follow the same paradigm? Along that line of thinking, the University of Dayton is addressing both the education of its students and its faculty.
The University of Dayton is creating a new center to reinforce and enhance their engineering programs. This multi-disciplinary, “Visioneering” center will help connect the School of Engineer
As described in a University of Dayton news article, “The Visioneering Center will focus on developing new active, collaborative and project-based learning strategies for students and enhancing student learning with technology like 3-D visualization, virtual and team collaboration tools, technology enabled learning spaces and hands-on makerspaces.”
While the School of Engineering has long sought excellence in education, the center, which will reside in the existing Kettering Laboratories, will consolidate resources and provide enhanced agility in meeting the ever-changing demands of the engineering workplace. This is not only for students, either. Faculty have been actively involved in the shift, even before the center was finalized.
With $1.2M in funds from the Kern Entrepreneurship Education Network (KEEN), “…50 faculty will participate in workshops to learn more about activity-based, project-based and entrepreneurially minded learning to enhance their courses.” The professional development thrust will help prepare instructors to pass on innovative thinking and shaping seemingly disconnected ideas and disciplines into productive partnerships.
Although the center is not funded as part of that KEEN grant, the center’s director, Ken Bloemer, describes the connection, "We want to build off the momentum of KEEN and leverage KEEN to accelerate our transformation of engineering education." Education starts with educators, so it only makes sense that preparing students starts with them.
The center will open January 2015.
Image: University of Dayton