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…
For many, the ultimate goal is to use their skillsets or degree to help others or change the world. Many students feel that this doesn’t need to wait, that they can use what they know now to help their communities, and they have many creative and innovative ways to do this. Join us Wednesday, February 24 at 8pm ET using…
What Does a Reflective Engineer look like? Engineers are doers. When we see something that needs changing, our first instinct is to act. And that is a wonderful thing. But engineers are also sometimes criticized as being automatons. The claim is that we coldly react without thinking beyond our own small realm of technical expertise. Deep and broad thinking can…
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…
Ep. 26 - Podcasting and Social Media as Continuing Higher Education: A Conversation with Jeff Shelton Technology has opened many doors to new kinds of educational media. Podcasts and live internet radio, such as Big Beacon Radio, are among these relatively new kinds of media, and in this episode, host Dave Goldberg interviews Jeff Shelton, producer and co-host of The Engineering…
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…
Post contributed by Dr. Bryan Boulanger When I was little my father used to tell me, “If you want to know what you look like, look in the mirror. If you want to know who you are, look at your friends.” As I’ve grown older and my wife and I have had our own children, I’ve added “If you want…
Ep. 21 - Transformation in Higher Education 2015 in Review Higher education continues to face many challenges. Protests have increased on campus. Costs continue to rise. Enrollments continue to decline, and substantive change continues to elude much of the academy. In this show, host Dave Goldberg is joined by Mark Somerville of Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering and Big…
Post contributed by Chuck Pezeshki Introduction Folks in the academic community may be following the Halloween costume conflict at Yale, involving the issue of cultural appropriation. You’re probably wondering how this could be relevant to engineering education? It matters for one big reason – Big Beacon, through advancing models of education like Olin College’s, counts on the idea of students…