Transforming Undergraduate Education
in Engineering/Computer Science (TUEE)
The Proposed TUEE Collaboratory Model:
The model provides a fundamental breakthrough for the decades-old capacity problem that has prevented large universities from implementing Student-centered Team-based problem solving and project learning throughout the undergraduate experience. The primary problem has been far too few faculty versus the number of faculty required to provide the necessary coaching and mentoring of all students, especially in the area of sponsored design projects, at all four levels including best practice Senior Capstone projects.
The TUEE Collaboratory (link to description) is a systemic student-centered experiential engineering education model. The model includes (1) a design spine of curricular design projects, (2) multiple types of internships, (3) a unique Transfers Scholars Program (TSP), and (4) variety of student-centered co-curricular professional and career development programs, activities & events. The model also includes ongoing student-centered diversity/inclusion solutions and new standards for higher education/industry collaboration, applied across the entire undergraduate experience.
Harvey Mudd College and Olin College of Engineering have been doing very well at student-centered, active project learning throughout the undergraduate experience for decades but they have a combined enrollment of only 1,400 students.
Each University currently being invited to be a lead university, as noted below, would engage its own alumni as the source of practicing professionals to provide the additional human resources required to complement the limited number of faculty currently available to develop, then implement the proposed comprehensive TUEE Collaboratory model pilot through June 2026. The University would immediately invite major local companies to become Strategic Corporate Partners (SCPs). The founding SCPs would host the newly established The University alumni chapters by mid-November 2024.
Throughout the development, then implementation, of the two-year pilot project, all currently planned courses, programs and activities would be conducted as currently planned. Except for a few faculty involved with the 100-150 student cohort carrying out all aspects of the comprehensive pilot, the vast majority of faculty members would not be affected and would carry out their normal activities through June 2026.
Release of Phase I (industry input) in 2013 of the five-year multi-phase NSF-funded ASEE TUEE initiative stimulated an emerging national movement to transform undergraduate education in engineering. However, a viable transformation model that could be implemented throughout the undergraduate experience, especially at large universities, has failed to materialize.
The long-awaited option for a viable comprehensive model to begin Transforming Undergraduate Education in Engineering (TUEE) is now here, including at large universities. It is anticipated that at least one large university will be selected by mid-October 2024 (semester schools, or mid-September for quarter term schools), to begin preparing for full implementation of four regional comprehensive pilots throughout the 2025-2026 academic year. Regional pilots are in the process of being established in the Gulf Southwest (LA, NM, TX), the Pacific Northwest (ID, OR, WA), Pacific Southwest (AZ, CA, NV), and Rocky Mountain (CO, UT, WY) regions. The model is designed to enable regional Collaboratories to be established across the nation within a few years. It seems unlikely for another comprehensive transformation model to be forthcoming in the foreseeable future, especially, at major large universities.
Creating and establishing the TUEE Collaboratory is an independent effort being conducted by Corporate & University Relations Group. The TUEE Collaboratory is also in the process of being established as a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation that should be fully operational by late August 2024. Corporate & University Relations Group (CURG) and its senior associates are solely dedicated to providing breakthrough systemic experiential learning solutions for the stalled national effort to Transform Undergraduate Education in Engineering/Computer Science (TUEE).
Please direct any inquiries and comments to Paul Jones. Currently, I am especially interested in responses from 1) Deans (and direct reports) of Engineering/Computer Science from Universities in the Gulf Southwest, Pacific Northwest, Pacific Southwest, and Rocky Mountain states, 2) CTOs and Vice Presidents (and direct reports) of major companies with headquarters and/or major operations in those same states.
Paul M. Jones
President
Corporate & University Relations Group
Email: paul@curg.net
Website: www.curg.net
Interim Executive Director
TUEE Collaboratory
Transforming undergraduate education
in engineering/computer science (TUEE)
Website: www.tueecollaboratory.org (under development)
“It’s kinda fun to do the impossible” – Walt Disney
© 2024, Corporate and University Relations Group, All rights Reserved.
