An Interdisciplinary Team-based Framework to Engage Undergraduate Students in Biomedical Innovation

该项目旨在通过改善生物医学工程师的准备来服务于国家利益。它打算通过为本科教育中的生物医学创新开发一个跨学科的团队学习框架来做到这一点。在这一框架下，德克萨斯理工大学的工科学生将通过与德克萨斯理工大学健康科学中心的医科学生和德克萨斯理工大学创新中心的创业导师合作，从事生物医学研究和创新。当今复杂的医疗问题的解决方案需要工程师、科学家和医疗保健专业人员之间的合作。不幸的是，很少有大学校园为这种跨学科合作提供结构化的机会。该项目的新概念是创建一个为期一年的跨机构课程，专注于解决常见的临床问题。通过这项工作，学生团队将开发可能商业化的医疗保健市场的生物医学产品。该项目将通过向年轻人提供STEM实用知识、创新工具和团队合作技能来解决关键的医疗保健问题，从而造福社会。该项目可能会扩展为一个全国性的项目，将促进STEM教育和生物医学研究之间的紧密联系。该项目旨在产生关于医学生和本科生工科学生之间的合作对本科生的学习成果、创造力和创业精神的影响的新知识。该项目的核心是开发一个跨学科的学习环境，在这个环境中，本科生和医学生在来自学术界、卫生诊所和行业的专业人员的指导下，就研究项目进行合作。课程的实施将包括翻转课堂教学法和基于项目的学习相结合。这项工作以建构主义学习理论为基础，包括通过学期前和学期后的调查，使用适当的调查工具，评估认知和非认知对学生的影响。对教职员工的影响也将进行调查。预计学习环境将成为生物医学创新方面以技能为基础的研究培训以及创业精神的孵化器。一个跨机构的教师顾问团队将提供知识和技能支架，以及提供经常遇到的临床挑战，这些挑战可能是创新解决方案的主题。作为课程的一部分，风险投资者、技术专家和连续创业者将分享他们在启动成功项目方面的见解和经验。该项目由NSF改善本科生STEM教育：教育和人力资源计划资助，该计划支持研究和开发项目，以提高所有学生的STEM教育的有效性。通过参与的学生学习路径，该计划支持有前景的实践和工具的创建、探索和实施。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project aims to serve the national interest by improving the preparation of biomedical engineers. It intends to do so by developing an interdisciplinary team learning framework for biomedical innovation in undergraduate education. In this framework, engineering students at Texas Tech University will engage in biomedical research and innovation through collaboration with medical students at Texas Tech University Health Science Center and entrepreneurship mentors at Texas Tech University Innovation Hub. Solutions to today’s complex medical problems require collaboration between engineers, scientists, and healthcare professionals. Unfortunately, few college campuses provide structured opportunities for such interdisciplinary collaboration. The project's novel concept is to create a one-year cross-institutional course focused on solving commonly encountered clinical problems. Through this work, student teams will develop biomedical products that might be commercialized for the health care market. The project will benefit society by arming young people with practical STEM knowledge, tools for innovation, and teamwork skills to address critical health care problems. The project may be scalable into a nation-wide program that will promote strong linkages between STEM education and biomedical research.The project intends to generate new knowledge about the impact of collaborations between medical students and undergraduate engineering students on the undergraduate students’ learning outcomes, creativity, and entrepreneurship. The project core is development of an interdisciplinary learning environment in which undergraduate students and medical students collaborate on research projects mentored by professionals from academia, health clinics, and industry. Implementation of the course will include flipped classroom pedagogy combined with project-based learning. The work is undergirded by constructivist learning theory and includes evaluation of both cognitive and non-cognitive impacts on students through pre- and post-semester surveys, using appropriate survey instruments. Impact on faculty will also be investigated. The learning environment is expected to be an incubator for skill-based research training as well as entrepreneurship in biomedical innovation. A cross-institutional faculty consultant team will provide knowledge and skill scaffolding, as well as offer frequently encountered clinical challenges that might be topics for innovative solutions. As part of the course, venture investors, technology experts, and serial entrepreneurs will share their insights and experiences in launching successful projects. This project is funded by the NSF Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Education and Human Resources program, which supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.