Integrating Service Learning into Mechanical Engineering Pedagogy at MIT

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The mechanical engineering department at MIT is planning to develop strategies for integrating service learning into their core technical curriculum. Engineering service learning at other institutions is typically focused on elective and capstone classes; This planning grant from NSF would enable the mechanical engineering department at MIT to develop strategies for integrating service learning into the core technical curriculum as well. The specific objectives of this proposal are 1) to develop curriculum for mechanical engineering service learning classes at the sophomore, junior, and senior levels, 2) to develop widely applicable models of service learning in engineering, 3) to promote faculty awareness and understanding of service learning pedagogy, and 4) to create assessment and research strategies that will enable MIT to contribute to the research on undergraduate engineering education and service learning. The project will demonstrate whether SL can be applied more broadly in the engineering curriculum and the results will be of considerable interest to others considering an SL program. The results will have even more impact because the project work and assessment plans are comprehensive and high quality. The project will also have 2-way impact in the communities served by the projects. The communities will benefit by the products and services being developed by bright engineering undergraduates for their needs and the students will benefit by direct contact with and understanding of the communities they are serving.