About the Center

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At all stages of history, engineers have driven the transformation of society, culture, and the global economy through innovation. Engineering education embodies societal and global issues through required components in the humanities and social sciences. The College of Engineering considers it essential that all students be immersed in the basics of engineering and seeks to communicate what engineers do and how they create value for society. The College encourages students of all disciplines to graduate with a basic understanding of how engineering has impacted their daily lives and will form the future.

Mission

The Center of Excellence for Teaching and Learning in Engineering will provide an organized platform to advance and pioneer educational initiatives in the College and University. The Center will act as a facilitator of active learning, greater diversity and inclusion, and faculty learning communities, as well as creating a bridge between the College and the university learning community as a whole. The Center will promote inclusive educational initiatives in the College and University.
*A formal mission and vision of the center will be decided upon, through strategic focus group meetings with all University and external stakeholders.

Areas of Emphasis

Within this thrust area, the Center of Excellence for Teaching and Learning in Engineering will have the following pillars, with opportunities to grow over time.

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  • Best Practices in Active and Engaged Learning

    As research continues to demonstrate the success of active learning, especially in STEM settings, the Center will support faculty in integrating active learning into their classrooms. Taking learning above and beyond traditional lecture-based learning, the Center will promote participatory, case-based, inclusive learning that engage students deeply in their own education.

    The Center will continue building on current successes, such as our annual Teaching and Learning Innovation in STEAM (TALIS) Day. The Center will also initiate new programs such as workshops, professional development events, and individual consultations for faculty as well as peer mentoring while utilizing the College’s state-of-the-art classrooms, technology, and laboratories. Through building learning communities for engineering faculty and conducting research on engineering-specific teaching and learning, the Center will form a crucial part of the College’s innovation.

  • Diversity and Inclusion

    Diversity is our strength! The Center will embrace the University’s commitment to diversity and inclusion. It will make recruitment and retention of female and minority students a year-round priority. Diverse classrooms enrich the student experience by creating a learning environment that is more authentic and reflective of the world we live in, and provide a welcoming environment for students, faculty, and staff from all backgrounds at the College of Engineering.

  • Building a Learning Community

    Faculty know the value of lifelong learning. The Center will prioritize active professional development in group settings, informal lunch and learns, and one-on-one consultations on how to incorporate active learning and more into the classroom. This will help the College to continue to create a culture of active learning, student engagement, and success!

  • Retention and Student Engagement Activities

    The Center will increase retention of undergraduate engineering students through engaging opportunities such as undergraduate research experience, global immersion programs, entrepreneurial programs, student workshops, peer mentoring, and town hall meetings. Integrating these programs across departments and degree programs can support the College’s goal of becoming a national hub for engineering students. The Center will connect students to tutoring and support services when taking core Math and Physics courses, coordinating additional engineering and boot camp programs as well. First-year courses such as “First Year Directions” will also be strengthened to improve retention.

  • Creating an Engineering Mindset Across Campus

    The Center will facilitate setting up an engaging and innovative First Year Year General Studies in Engineering Program. Examples may include Introduction to Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Introduction to Engineering, and a general studies class/STEM cognate class on how Engineering and Technology addresses Global Grand Challenges (for majors and non-majors) taught by a team of experts. The Center will also work on programs to develop an entrepreneurial mindset in students. These introductory classes will provide a framework for a remarkable first year experience for all students.

  • Launch and Scale Up Innovative Masters Programs

    The Center will support Engineering Chairs and Program Directors’ efforts towards innovative graduate and professional programs such as construction management, sustainability, resilience, biomedical engineering, cyber security, data science, and artificial intelligence. The Center will facilitate certificate programs such as project management, FE exam preparation, as well as guest lectures or seminar series for alumni and the local engineering community. The Center will collaborate with internal University partners and stakeholders on these programs and support the growth of all current programs.

  • Community-Building Activities and Fostering a Culture of Belonging

    The Center will utilize internal resources to promote meaningful interactions among students, faculty, and staff through team-building exercises and a new social lounge providing space for inclusive events and collaborative work. The Center will facilitate timely and engaging Alumni and Community events, as well as highlight success stories and career announcements on the College website.

  • Lifelong Learning and Outreach Programs

    The Center will facilitate certificate programs such as project management, FE exam preparation, engagement activities, as well guest lectures or seminar series for alumni and the local engineering community. The Center will collaborate with UM DCIE on some of these programs and support the growth of current programs, such as the “Green Belt on Six Sigma” offered by the Department of Industrial Engineering and the apprenticeship program for high school graduates or mid-career professionals currently in development by the Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering in collaboration with the Florida Department of Education.

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