Coalition seeks to prepare a new generation of engineers

The university has joined six other academic institutions in the National Science Foundation Coalition, a program designed to better prepare future engineers.

“The main thrust of the coalition is developing a responsive curriculum,” says John Mitchell, mechanical engineering professor and UW–Madison’s representative to the national organization’s management team.

“We must continually respond to constituents’ needs — assessing the engineering curriculum and making it more effective,” Mitchell says. “We need to link and integrate all parts of the curriculum. The idea is to get as many faculty as possible involved in making these changes.”

Since joining the coalition in October, the Madison group has held workshops on learning communities and faculty development. It will host another Madison workshop April 7-8 for faculty at other coalition schools who are interested in learning more about the techniques, tools and plans of assessment and evaluation.

Serving with Mitchell on the College of Engineering’s executive committee for this program are associate dean Michael Corradini, assistant dean Donald Woolston, adjunct assistant professor Sandra Courter and Sarah Pfatteicher, the college’s assessment director.

Additionally, a UW–Madison inter-departmental team is developing a curriculum to more effectively link courses. The group includes professors Art Ellis (chemistry), Pat Farrell (mechanical engineering), Wesley Smith (physics), John Strikwerda (computer sciences) and Robert Wilson (mathematics), associate professors Teresa Adams (civil engineering) and Jake Blanchard (engineering physics), lecturer Laura Grossenbacher (engineering professional development) and teaching assistant Kris Cummings (engineering physics).

The other members of the Foundation Coalition are Arizona State University, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Texas A&M University, Texas A&M – Kingsville, the University of Alabama and the University of Massachusetts – Dartmouth. For more information about the NSF Foundation Coalition, visit: http://foundationcoalition.org.