Originally written for the November/December 2014 edition of Purdue Alumnus
Purdue’s College of Technology has embarked on a far-reaching transformation that will offer extraordinary opportunities to students and faculty.
Designated as a Purdue Moves initiative, the transformation is touching all parts of the college: curricula, learning, and teaching methods; learning spaces; student assessments; research; and industry engagement.
“The transformation is not only about what we do, but how we do it,” says Gary Bertoline, dean of the College of Technology.
To serve as an engine for the transformation, the college formed the Purdue Polytechnic Institute. The institute is designed to help faculty develop curricula that are more aligned with industry needs and student interests, deploy new state-of-the-art teaching and learning methods, strengthen the role of experiential learning (i.e., learn by doing), infuse innovation and entrepreneurship into curricula, and expand industry partnerships and workforce education initiatives.
Positive impact on the learning experience
Students are already enjoying the fruits of the transformation’s early stages. A select cohort of 35 first-year students is experiencing a significantly redesigned learning environment with integrated curricula, and fourth-year students are benefiting from a growing number of real-world, industry-sponsored capstone projects.
The redesigned environment with integrated curricula has won rave reviews by first-year students and faculty.“I’m very excited about all the opportunities this program gives me. I get to learn by doing projects that teach me how to use my knowledge ... I’m excited to go to class and learn new things,” says computer and information technology student Anna Bowen.
Classmate David Tishmack, a mechanical engineering technology student, says he’s discovered that “the program is designed to provide purpose and motivation to learn and discover. I find myself wanting to push myself to achieve more.”
Likewise, the industry capstone projects have proven extremely popular with sponsors and students, nearly doubling in number in less than a year.
Power of partnerships
These two initiatives, both of which are expected to grow to include nearly all College of Technology students, represent only a fraction of what is planned over the next two to three years. Other major elements include expanded field experiences and internships, discipline-specific certifications, and global experience opportunities. New degree programs are also being planned, such as robotics and mechatronics, cyber forensics and security, unmanned aerial systems, advanced manufacturing systems, and more.
The college’s transformation is equally focused on placing students and their aspirations at the center of their education. A recent Gallup-Purdue study showed that the most successful students had one or more faculty mentors who took an active interest in their aspirations.
The study also noted the importance of internships to student success. Even before the survey was released, the College of Technology was planning new faculty-student connection programs (including one-on-one mentorships) and expanded field experiences (including internships) into its overall curricula.
One bold effort toward giving students more say in their educations is the college’s move toward competency-based learning, an approach that focuses on demonstrating mastery of concepts and skills rather than classroom seat time during fixed-calendar semesters. In this approach, students receive credentials based on demonstrated competencies as they are achieved, a process that gives students flexibility over how long it takes to graduate and better informs employers about what graduates are able to do.
Industry executives have applauded the college’s efforts. John McDonald (T’95), CEO of CloudOne, believes the college’s efforts are “exactly what is needed for all of us who lead high-tech businesses in Indiana, and it is a real differentiator from the past forms of higher education.”
Similar enthusiasm has been shared by alumni and leaders at IBM, Starbucks, American Axle and Manufacturing, and John Deere.
New degree program launching in fall 2015
Purdue’s College of Technology continues to make progress in its Purdue Moves initiative. As part of an effort to transform the college’s undergraduate learning environment, Purdue Polytechnic Institute faculty won a $500,000 grant by proposing a competency-based degree program in response to a university-wide challenge issued by President Mitch Daniels earlier this year.
The faculty are building a transdisciplinary degree that is designed to not only give students the technical, problem-solving, and collaborative skills necessary to flourish, but also enable students to understand their place in the world, their ability to affect it, and their responsibilities among society. Efforts are underway to gain approval for the degree and begin admitting students for fall 2015. The groundwork for competency-based learning will be shared with other departments across the college and university to facilitate the expansion of competency-based programs.