Getting to Best Practices - Saturday Parallel Session

Saturday, June 5, 2010, 9:45-12:30.  Location: F. W. Olin Center, rooms TBA.
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Objective: To develop a summary of best practices for dealing with several key issues associated with integrating engineering and the liberal arts.

1. Integration in courses — Courses designed to specifically integrate the liberal arts and engineering/technology for students of all disciplines. Discussion will address the following issues among     others: learning activities for a mixed audience, team teaching, dealing with institutional challenges, what     makes a good course.   

  • MODERATOR: Frontiers of Nanotechnology/Union – Mike Hagerman
  • ISSUE FRAMERS:

    o    VaST (ethics and technology)/Lafayette – Polly Piergiovanni
    o    Signals, Systems, and Music/Rowan – Linda Head

2. Integration in extra/co-curricular activities — Ongoing activities outside of the classroom that involve majors from different disciplines working on technological challenges. Discussion will address the following issues among others: attracting multiple majors, dealing with institutional challenges, attracting funding, measuring student benefits.

  • MODERATOR: Engineers without Borders/Lafayette – Josh Smith
  • ISSUE FRAMERS:
    o    Terrascope/MIT – Ari Epstein
    o    Art/Computer Science/Neuroscience/Lafayette – Chun Wai Liew

3. Faculty integration — Faculty from the liberal arts and engineering collaborating on various initiatives such as research, service, curricular, etc. Discussion will address the following issues among others: finding a collaborator, including this as part of the faculty reward system, dealing with institutional challenges, measuring the benefits to faculty.

  • MODERATOR: Center for Environment/Smith – Andrew Guswa
  • ISSUE FRAMERS:
    o    Corn on the Quad/Lafayette – Andy Smith
    o    Aerogels/Union – Ann Anderson

4. BA Engineering (Type) Programs – Various colleges/universities have interdisciplinary undergraduate degrees designed to integrate the liberal arts and engineering. Discussion will address implementation issues versus ongoing issues for those involved or contemplating such programs.

  • MODERATOR: Dartmouth – Eric Hansen
  • ISSUE FRAMERS:
    o    Smith College – Borjana Mikic
    o    Lafayette College – Kristen Sanford Bernhardt