Redefining Biological Engineering with an Integrated Research and Cooperative based Undergraduate Curriculum

这笔计划拨款正在改革犹他州立大学的生物工程课程，改进了核心课程的整合，通过数字学习材料加强了信息传递，在校园内建立了应用学习环境，提供了完整的合作研究/设计体验，并开展了外联、指导和跟踪工作，以增强多样性和留存能力。重点和拟议的活动如下：(1)生物工程是一门发展中的学科，需要重新评估，以协调一致地连接源于农业和生物医学工程的子组成部分，并涵盖新兴的生物技术。(2)大学一年级时提出的主题在高年级时会被遗忘，除非学生在更高级的概念背景下重新学习，然后重新应用；(3)交互式数字材料是有效的学习工具，允许校园时间投入到解决问题、参与团队设计项目、使用先进仪器以及在专家指导下设计和执行实验；(4)合作体验建立学生信心，促进团队努力，并提供宝贵的现实世界培训，同时促进合作、网络和研究的发展。智力优势私人投资公司认为，生物工程是一门不断发展的学科，需要对其进行评估和实施，以连贯地弥合医学、农业和生物技术的不同领域。该项目将研究实施交互式数字材料的方法，以改进学习过程。合作体验将使接受过真实世界培训的本科生“更加完美”。更广泛的影响整合模式和应用学习模式都有可能在许多其他项目中应用。该提案的具体目的是改进学习过程和促进多样性。该项目已经增加了女性入学人数和种族多样性。拟议的改革还应带来额外的多样化和对学生入学证书的普遍加强。

This planning grant is reforming the Biological Engineering curriculum at Utah State University, by improved integration of core courses, enhancement in information delivery through digital learning materials, an applied learning environment on campus, an integral co-operative research/design experience, and outreach, mentoring, and tracking efforts to enhance diversity and retention. The focal points and proposed activities are: (1) Biological engineering is an evolvingdiscipline that needs to be reevaluated to coherently bridge the subcomponents stemming fromagricultural and biomedical engineering as well as encompass emerging bio-technologies. (2) Topics presented in the freshman year are forgotten by the senior year unless revisited, adapted by the student in the context of a more advanced concept, and then reapplied; (3) Interactive digital materials are effective learning tools permitting campus time to be devoted to solving problems, participating in team design projects, using advanced instrumentation, and designing and performing experiments under expert guidance; (4) A cooperative experience builds student confidence, fosters team effort and provides invaluable real-world training while fostering collaborations, networking, and growth of research. Intellectual merit The PIs contend that biological engineering is an evolving discipline and that it needs to be evaluated and implemented to coherently bridge the divergent areas of medicine, agriculture, and biotechnology. The project would look at means to implement interactive, digital materials to improve the learning process. The co-op experience would "round out" the undergraduate student with real world training. Broader impacts The models for integration and for applied learning both have the potential for application in many other programs. The proposal is specifically aimed at improving the learning process and fostering diversity. The program has already seen an increase in female enrollment and diversity of ethnicity. Additional diversification and a general strengthening of the incoming credentials of the students should also result from the proposed changes.