Comprehensive Curriculum Reform : Adapting and Implementing the Enhanced Education Experience for Engineers ( E4)

费城社区学院正在开发一门新的大一和大二工程核心课程，通过适应和实施由德雷塞尔大学首创的工程师强化教育经验（E4）和工程测试、设计和模拟实验室（ETDSL）。E4和ETDSL让学生在他们的教育早期就有了真正的工程工作经验。学生学习工程实践所需的材料，并在课程中保留。在传统课程中，学生通过死记硬背来学习这些材料，而没有付诸实践。这个项目也增强了国家招收更多少数民族学生进入SMET的需求。作为一所大型综合性城市社区学院，该项目的成功实施将为其他社区学院提供借鉴。E4要求设计、开发和测试强调跨学科科学基础的工程核心课程：实验的关键作用；计算机的超越性作用；卓越的沟通技巧的必要性；团队合作的重要性和积极终身学习的习惯；以及设计作为专业实践的定义元素的作用。该提案涉及教师发展，多样性和技术融入教育的DUE主题。E4和ETDSL将通过以下方式适应城市社区学院的设置：(1)使用E4方法和模拟实验室开发两门新课程；(2)修订现有的四门课程，以采用ETSDL方法；(3)为教师提供E4和ETSDL的发展；(4)通过为招收或感兴趣的学生提供积极的教育体验，保留80%的工程专业弱势学生；(5)与提供工程学士学位的四年制学校签订两项额外的衔接协议。

The Community College of Philadelphia is developing a new freshman and sophomore engineering core curriculum by adapting and implementing the Enhacement Educational experience for Engineers (E4) and The engineering Test, Design, and Simulation Laboratory (ETDSL) pioneered by Drexel University.E4 and ETDSL give students an experience of real engineering work early in their education. Students learn the materials needed for engineering practice and retention in the program. In the traditional curriculum, students learn much of this material by rote memorization without putting it into practice. This project also enhaces the national need to recruit more minority students into SMET. As a large, comprehensive urban community college, successful adaption of this program will serve as a model for other community colleges.E4 calls for the design, development and testing of an engineering core curriculum emphasizing interdisciplinary sicentific foundations: the pivotal role of experimentation; the transcendent role of the computer; the imperative for superior communication skills; the importance of teamwork and the habit of vigorous life-long learning; and the role of design as the defining element of professional practice. This proposal addresses the DUE themes of faculty development, diversity, and integration of technology into education.E4 and ETDSL will be adapted to an urban, community college seytting through: (1) the development of two new courses using the E4 aproach and the simulation laboratory; (2) the revision of four existing courses to utilize the the ETSDL approach; (3) a provision of faculty development on E4 and ETSDL; (4) retention of 80% of disadvantaged students in the engineering major by providing a positive educational experience to the students enrolled or interested in engineering; and (5) initiation of two addtional articulation agreements with four years schools offering a baccalaureate in engineering.