Two CSE faculty selected to participate in National Academy of Engineering’s Frontiers of Engineering Education Symposium

Contact:

Rhonda Zurn, College of Science and Engineering, rzurn@umn.edu, (612) 626-7959

Preston Smith, University News Services, smith@umn.edu, (612) 625-0552

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (10/07/11) – Two University of Minnesota College of Science and Engineering faculty are among 65 of the nation's most innovative, engineering educators selected to take part in the National Academy of Engineering's third Frontiers of Engineering Education Symposium.

Civil engineering professor Bill Arnold and Technological Leadership Institute associate professor Karl Smith are faculty members who are developing and implementing innovative educational approaches. They will come together with colleagues from across the country in a variety of engineering disciplines for the 2- 1/2-day event, where they can share ideas, learn from research and best practice in education, and leave with a charter to bring about improvement in their home institution. The attendees were nominated by fellow engineers or deans and chosen from a highly competitive pool of applicants. The symposium is Nov. 13-16 in Irvine, Calif.

"The Frontiers of Engineering Education program creates a unique venue for engineering faculty members to share and explore interesting and effective innovations in teaching and learning,” said NAE President Charles M. Vest. “We want this program to become a major force in identifying, recognizing, and promulgating advances and innovations in order to build a strong intellectual infrastructure and commitment to 21st-century engineering education.”

This year's program will focus on teaching leading-edge engineering knowledge, project-based learning, active and self-directed learning, and assessment of student learning, and education innovation.