Integrating the Engineering Curriculum: Careers and Concentrations, Toolboxes and Technology

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The planning grant is to develop a comprehensive renewal of the undergraduate curriculum in Industrial and Systems Engineering at Lehigh University to streamline and integrate the curriculum in order to open opportunities for the students and meet the challenges of the future engineer. They plan to develop and coordinate career track options with programs that augment the traditional degrees. The careers include professional/technical, professional/managerial, government, research, and teaching-oriented tracks. The tracks will be closely aligned and integrated with graduate school options as there is a growing need for entry-level engineers to have greater skill sets than feasible with a 4-year degree. Additionally, areas of concentration specific to industrial and systems engineering, such as logistics, finance, or manufacturing to further help students focus their education will be developed. These changes hinge on delivering integrated programs at the department level that teach students to think critically.Many curriculum integration efforts depend on the students' ability to remember previous coursework, with little else to support them in this process. The use of technology toolboxes, which students will populate and utilize throughout their undergraduate careers and beyond will be integrated into the curriculum. A tool developed and placed in the toolbox in one course (such as a piece of software) can be called upon in later courses. The student's toolbox thus becomes a cohesive center for their education. These toolboxes will be applied to innovative, "real-world" learning modules, which are fundamental to courses throughout our curriculum. These modules will also help students learn when to use each tool in their toolbox. Before they graduate, students can help design new learning modules that can be used by subsequent students, or in outreach programs to grade 6-12 students, or for distribution to other universities. Furthermore, as students graduate and enter the workforce, they will be better equipped to make substantial contributions to their projects and to society.