Ep. 33 - A New Approach to Education: UTwente's ATLAS Although we're technically in the 21st century, most universities remain deeply rooted in the traditions and antiquated ideas of the past. But there are a few schools around the world that are bravely stepping into new territories. The University of Twente in the Netherlands is doing just that with its revolutionary…
Ep. 31 - Building an Inspiring Learning Environment: Lehigh's Mountaintop Experience While there is still far to go in the transformation of higher ed, there are plenty of universities that are paving the way with innovative programs and initiatives. Lehigh University's Mountaintop is one of those programs. Mountaintop was developed to be a unique learning environment in which students are…
Ep. 29 - Purdue's Polytechnic as a Case Study in Transforming Big Public Universities Many of the examples of successful higher education transformation take place at small campuses started from scratch or in relatively small extant departments, units, or campuses. One important exception to the rule is Purdue University's Polytechnic in which the former College of Technology has been working…
Ep. 28 - Most Likely to Succeed: A Conversation with Tony Wagner The same forces at work bringing change to engineering education and higher education, more generally, are at work at the primary and secondary levels the world over. In this episode, join host Dave Goldberg and guest commentator Mark Somerville (Olin College) for a wide-ranging and expansive conversation with Harvard's…
Ep. 27 -Student Power and Light: Hidden Keys to Transforming Higher Ed When conversations turn to reforming or transforming higher education, weighty tomes are written, groups of faculty & administrators assemble, and new plans are made and executed, often without consulting or involving a single student. In recent times, business has gotten better at listening to the "voice of the…
In the most recent episode of Big Beacon Radio: Transforming Higher Education, guest Jeff Shelton discussed his educational background and how it led him to become the host of the Engineering Commons Podcast. Jeff went back to school to receive his PhD later in life, decades after completing his initial degrees. By the time he returned to school, Jeff had years of professional…
Ep. 25 -Creativity and Innovation in Higher Education: A Conversation with Stu Walesh We live in a time of great bounty in the social sciences and neurosciences in which once mysteries of the mind are being revealed in greater detail in ways that can be acted upon in both practical and educational settings. In this episode, host Dave Goldberg interviews…
Ep. 24 -Motivation, Rewards, and Education: A Conversation with Edward L. Deci The idea that we get more of a behavior when it is externally rewarded or reinforced is built into many organizational processes and educational institutions and is often treated as axiomatic, but studies going back to the early 1970s have firmly called this into question. Today, businesses and…
Ep. 23 - Using Social Labs for Change In and Around Higher Education: A Case in Canada Social labs bring together stakeholders with different, even opposing, points of view in a practical effort to promote systemic change. Show host Dave Goldberg, recently witnessed one session of a social lab called the Engineering Change Lab in Toronto, Ontario that brought together…
Ep. 22 - Toward A Whole New Kind of Value Creation: An Interview with Kyle V. Davy Increased specialization and expertise have been hallmarks of both higher education and commerce for many centuries. And this game plan worked sufficiently well until information technology facilitated low-cost integration across disciplines in new ways. The resulting misalignments and disruptions are felt in corporations as…