Innovative approaches to Teaching and Learning Michael Stevenson, Warwick July 2015

Aalborg University: Problem and project based learning across a broad curriculum. Integrated Engineering, UCL: Scenario-based teaching underpinned by a rigorous technical programme. Zeppelin University: developing decision makers and creative thinkers, with a focus on social innovation. Jacobs University: High quality, transdisciplinary study in a diverse community Amsterdam University College: Liberal Arts & Sciences aimed at international students. Cornell Tech: A new approach to graduate study, with an emphasis on entrepreneurship. Olin College of Engineering: Students are engineers from day one. Quest University: Interdisciplinary block programme, enabling high-levels of flexibility. Singapore University of Technology & Design: Technically-grounded design, across the whole value chain. Minerva: A global experience, using technology to deliver all learning online. High Tech High: project- based learning for K-12 Harvey Mudd College: Intellectual rigour combined with innovative approaches to STEM within a liberal arts context. D-school, Stanford: Tackling ‘the world’s messy problems’ by applying design thinking and design innovation. EPICS/ EPICS High: Community-based design and innovation projects in vertical teams. Florida Polytechnic University: STEM education designed to meet the needs of the Florida economy.

Innovative practice: SUTD Features:  Established in collaboration with MIT, opening for students in 2012  Central focus on technically-grounded design, across the whole value chain: ‘the Big-D’  Curriculum designed from the ‘outside in’, taking the needs of business and society first  Features of teaching and learning:  Multidisciplinary throughout the degree programme  Collaborative learning, through cohort classes and group projects  Experiential, with projects growing in complexity  Interactive, making use of latest technology – included a Fab Lab  Grounded in the real world, through real problems and compulsory internships SUTD aims to nurture a new generation of technologically grounded leaders and innovators equipped to create a better world through design.

Innovative practice: D-School Features:  Founded in the School of Engineering at Stanford in 2005 to prepare a generation of innovators to tackle complex challenges.  Serves as a university-wide hub for innovation where students from all disciplines come together to work in classes and on projects.  Described as a ‘deliberate mash-up of industry, academia and the big world beyond campus’, with a clear focus on human values in design.  Features of teaching and learning:  Based on ‘a methodology for innovation that combines creative and analytical approaches, and requires collaboration across disciplines’.  Focus on application of design thinking and design innovation  Multidisciplinary groups and teaching, with all classes team taught by a mix of faculty and industry – class leaders work in parallel  Experiential learning with a focus on real world problems Students are encouraged to develop new ways of looking at old problems.

Innovative practice: EPICS Features:  Engineering Projects in Community Service was founded in 1995 in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Purdue University, and has since been expanded across partner universities and high schools.  Provides opportunities for undergraduate and high school students to earn academic credit for design projects.  Projects are focused on engineering or technology-based problems for non-profit organisations in the local community.  Features of teaching and learning:  Collaborative problem-based learning  Grounded in the engineering design process  Vertical and multidisciplinary teams, drawing in different levels of knowledge/ experience  Long-term, real-world projects Students on EPICS have authentic experiences, working on projects that are mission critical for the project partner

Eight pedagogy dimensions Design innovation Students seek out real problems to solve. They identify the challenge, shape the question, select an approach and develop a solution, repeating the steps as necessary. Learner accountability Students take responsible for their own learning, shaping their degree programmes to reflect their interests and aspirations. HASS Students are exposed to humanities, arts and social sciences subjects as a core element of the curriculum, bringing new perspectives to their STEM focus. Focus The STEM curriculum balances the fundamental essence of a range of engineering and technology disciplines with authentic projects, usually interdisciplinary, in areas of relevance to today’s world. Real business problems Students focus on real challenges facing organisations today, often working in partnership to define and design solutions. Aligned assessment Assessment is designed to reflect both the teaching model and the methods for measuring success that are applied in the workforce: knowledge based and professional competencies. Entrepreneurial Students are encouraged to challenge convention, take risks and create opportunities. They think about new approaches and potential business models. Research informed All courses are informed by cutting-edge research across relevant fields. Students have the opportunity to participate in multidisciplinary and applied research projects.

Three pedagogy archetypes Focus on engineering as a design process A pedagogy that delivers teaching through an engineering design process, with a deep focus on a small number of subject areas. Highly entrepreneurial, with strong opportunities to learn from and participate in cutting edge research. Real business problems are used, but are not fundamental to the offer. As in the case studies, assessment is not necessarily aligned with the innovative approaches to teaching. Focus on an student choice A multidisciplinary, student-centred, PBL approach, drawing on scenarios and research from sources around the world, rather than creating new knowledge. Problems may be related to the real world, but not necessarily. Responding to student demand, assessment is aligned with teaching approaches. This approach is highly entrepreneurial, reflecting the character of the Millennial generation, but is likely to be associated with a less focused curriculum, in order to reflect the broad interests of the student population. Focus on external impact This model delivers measurable impact for the real world, through faculty-led and business-led projects. This might reduce the extent to which pedagogy can incorporate design innovation, although this is likely to still be used as a teaching methodology. Real world problem solving demands a broader approach to the curriculum, although this could be solved by an Olin-type collaboration. Entrepreneurial thinking is not as advanced, as the focus is clearly on delivering for the needs of local, regional and national businesses.

One framework, two settings  The national proposition. Rethinking the way engineering and technology are taught in the UK  The regional proposition. An engine for economic development in Herefordshire

The ecosystem Schools and Colleges Informal digital learning Business: corporates & SMEs Government & its agencies Enterprise partners Innovation & Growth Talent & Learning University