Experiential Learning Opportunities Exploring the Impact of Engineering Solutions – A Collaborative GenEd-Engineering Effort

Abstract

At the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), General Education (GenEd) requirements for Bachelor Degrees include six credit hours dedicated to project work that brings students from all across the university to work in teams that resemble a professional work setting. These interprofessional student teams work with faculty and/or industry mentors on a wide range of projects. Students assume different roles in the team and are encouraged to approach the project from their own perspective and to contribute their respective discipline-specific knowledge while performing within their professional role in the team. Engineering students in these interprofessional teams are often addressing (and leading) the technical aspects of the project using engineering approaches to problem solving.

Implication of Developing Digital Twins to Improve Students’ Learning Experiences

“…The course used for this demonstration is a unique course at the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) named The Inter-Professional Projects Program (IPRO) that all undergraduate students from different disciplines need to take six credit hours to finish their undergraduate degree [8]. IPRO is a unique feature of IIT curriculum, which usually comprise diverse teams, leading to creative ideas and better solutions to sustainability problems [9,10]. The pilot was conducted in fall 2021 and spring 2022 and the name of the course was IPRO 497: Creating Digital Twins of IIT campus [11].…”