Consider the mold broken |
This article provides real-life university examples that are moving toward a futuristic approach to education: Cornell Tech, Brigham Young University, Michigan State University and the University of Florida.
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The line between “hard” and “soft” disciplines is slowly fading as universities evolve and develop new ways to integrate technology into research and combine multiple disciplines to solve problems.
In his book, Trees on Mars: Our Obsession With the Future, Niedzviecki, explains the machine power behind Cornell Tech, the “university of the future.”
By 2017, Cornell Tech will be a: “two million square-foot, ultra-state-of-the-art institution,” according to Niedzviecki.
Offered is a Postdoctoral Innovation Fellows program that supports individuals seeking to: “commercialize their research ideas … while taking advantage of the entrepreneurial network of Cornell Tech and its proximity to New York City based markets.”
There is also a two-year degree called Connective Media: “designed to train the entrepreneurial engineers and technologists desperately needed in the media sector.”
The website mentions: “The Connective Media program will produce the next generation of tech talent to respond to, and drive, the digital transformation of publishing, advertising, news and information and entertainment.”
This institution takes a different approach to higher education, and according to the Dean of Cornell Tech, Daniel Huttenlocher: “we are in a time parallel to post Industrial Revolution. A time where the world was changing quickly but the universities were stuck teaching Latin and Greek.”
The same scenario is seen today, and that is why the educational system must adapt to multidisciplinary systems to close the gap. Connecting classrooms to the real world lets students gain a more encompassing education that applies to post graduation.
At Cornell Tech students learn beginning steps to project building, interacting with companies and looking at issues like marketing and fundraising, mentions Huttenlocher. “The outcome will be graduates who will have the fundamentals needed to be technological innovators, while also knowing how to develop, pitch, raise money and start a business.”
When education is the base building block when it comes to implementing change, teaching with integrative courses allows students to connect: “state, corporate, and the myriad aspirations of families and students,” according to Niedzviecki.
In regards to the Industrial and Informative revolutions, about five years ago faculty from the University of Florida (UF) began working with the Materials Research Society to address the gap, solely based on materials.
The course The Impact of Materials on Society, is taught by nine faculty members from engineering, humanities and social science departments. In one-way or another, every discipline studies materials and how: “the human past has been shaped by harnessing and consuming materials and energy,” according to NextGov.
The goal of the course states that students gain a: "broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental and societal context."
For sustainable and successful innovations we need Material Science and Engineering students discussing ethical and social issues surrounding production and application of materials.
The program is not a history course for engineers, nor is it engineering course for humanists.
For example, students look at the new polymer (plastic) materials made from renewable sources instead of petroleum. They discuss how polymer may have fewer health risks and are more sustainable than today’s plastic cups and bottles.
NextGov reached out to see what students had to say about the course:
“This class just further proves that you have to understand different aspects of how our world works and not just engineering to be a great engineer,” UF Engineering major said.
“This class gives me a leg up in my other history courses because it reminds me to think about the properties of materials and how they shape our lives,” UF History major said.
To design effective technologies, scientific study must integrate with the cultural competencies of humanities and social sciences.
At Utah’s Brigham Young University (BYU) the humanities program was renamed to Humanities+™. It offers traditional courses like literature, philosophy and history, but also internships, overseas trips and a direct partnership with its business school.
Humanities+™ aims to filter students in to jobs with government agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and “high-profile companies,” according to the website.
BYU states in a: “globalized marketplace, many recruiters are turning directly to humanities majors for their foreign-language and intercultural expertise, for their leadership abilities, communication skills, and above all their intellectual flexibility and creativity.”
Universities across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom are taking on the idea of expansive education. It can be seen through a new interdisciplinary field called Digital Humanities.
At Michigan State University, students earn a Digital Humanities Bachelor of Arts degree to: “explore, research, analyze, and critique the ways in which digital tools, technologies, and spaces have transformed work in the humanities. Create, design, mash, mix, and produce using digital tools, technologies, and spaces.”
The program produces students that: “discuss the complexity and social and political context of technologies, be a thoughtful and critical user of digital tools and spaces, be an adept selector of the technology and tool to suit the work at hand and create multimodal, multimedia work.”
Interdisciplinary courses are beneficial for society, and more universities need to integrate a future-forward and connective education. If we don’t want graduates to fall behind, there needs to be a change in the foundation of knowledge.
In his book, Trees on Mars: Our Obsession With the Future, Niedzviecki, explains the machine power behind Cornell Tech, the “university of the future.”
By 2017, Cornell Tech will be a: “two million square-foot, ultra-state-of-the-art institution,” according to Niedzviecki.
Offered is a Postdoctoral Innovation Fellows program that supports individuals seeking to: “commercialize their research ideas … while taking advantage of the entrepreneurial network of Cornell Tech and its proximity to New York City based markets.”
There is also a two-year degree called Connective Media: “designed to train the entrepreneurial engineers and technologists desperately needed in the media sector.”
The website mentions: “The Connective Media program will produce the next generation of tech talent to respond to, and drive, the digital transformation of publishing, advertising, news and information and entertainment.”
This institution takes a different approach to higher education, and according to the Dean of Cornell Tech, Daniel Huttenlocher: “we are in a time parallel to post Industrial Revolution. A time where the world was changing quickly but the universities were stuck teaching Latin and Greek.”
The same scenario is seen today, and that is why the educational system must adapt to multidisciplinary systems to close the gap. Connecting classrooms to the real world lets students gain a more encompassing education that applies to post graduation.
At Cornell Tech students learn beginning steps to project building, interacting with companies and looking at issues like marketing and fundraising, mentions Huttenlocher. “The outcome will be graduates who will have the fundamentals needed to be technological innovators, while also knowing how to develop, pitch, raise money and start a business.”
When education is the base building block when it comes to implementing change, teaching with integrative courses allows students to connect: “state, corporate, and the myriad aspirations of families and students,” according to Niedzviecki.
In regards to the Industrial and Informative revolutions, about five years ago faculty from the University of Florida (UF) began working with the Materials Research Society to address the gap, solely based on materials.
The course The Impact of Materials on Society, is taught by nine faculty members from engineering, humanities and social science departments. In one-way or another, every discipline studies materials and how: “the human past has been shaped by harnessing and consuming materials and energy,” according to NextGov.
The goal of the course states that students gain a: "broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental and societal context."
For sustainable and successful innovations we need Material Science and Engineering students discussing ethical and social issues surrounding production and application of materials.
The program is not a history course for engineers, nor is it engineering course for humanists.
For example, students look at the new polymer (plastic) materials made from renewable sources instead of petroleum. They discuss how polymer may have fewer health risks and are more sustainable than today’s plastic cups and bottles.
NextGov reached out to see what students had to say about the course:
“This class just further proves that you have to understand different aspects of how our world works and not just engineering to be a great engineer,” UF Engineering major said.
“This class gives me a leg up in my other history courses because it reminds me to think about the properties of materials and how they shape our lives,” UF History major said.
To design effective technologies, scientific study must integrate with the cultural competencies of humanities and social sciences.
At Utah’s Brigham Young University (BYU) the humanities program was renamed to Humanities+™. It offers traditional courses like literature, philosophy and history, but also internships, overseas trips and a direct partnership with its business school.
Humanities+™ aims to filter students in to jobs with government agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and “high-profile companies,” according to the website.
BYU states in a: “globalized marketplace, many recruiters are turning directly to humanities majors for their foreign-language and intercultural expertise, for their leadership abilities, communication skills, and above all their intellectual flexibility and creativity.”
Universities across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom are taking on the idea of expansive education. It can be seen through a new interdisciplinary field called Digital Humanities.
At Michigan State University, students earn a Digital Humanities Bachelor of Arts degree to: “explore, research, analyze, and critique the ways in which digital tools, technologies, and spaces have transformed work in the humanities. Create, design, mash, mix, and produce using digital tools, technologies, and spaces.”
The program produces students that: “discuss the complexity and social and political context of technologies, be a thoughtful and critical user of digital tools and spaces, be an adept selector of the technology and tool to suit the work at hand and create multimodal, multimedia work.”
Interdisciplinary courses are beneficial for society, and more universities need to integrate a future-forward and connective education. If we don’t want graduates to fall behind, there needs to be a change in the foundation of knowledge.