By solving those problems, students will meet the competencies for all the courses in their program. These problems will be carefully selected so their solutions will encompass the degree competencies. Students will test their solutions in a real-world lab provided by Johnson Controls. After solving a problem as a team, individuals will then be given another problem to solve on their own in order to demonstrate how well they have met the competencies covered in each problem. Solving real-world problems changes student and faculty roles.
Students meet twice a week with a faculty tutor.
At these meetings, students define the problem, identify what they know, and then discover the concepts, principles and skills they need to know to solve the problem. Most of the students' time that was previously spent in a technology class now is spent researching and meeting with their teams to discuss what they've learned and what they still need to know. This cycle of individually researching information and then, in teams, evaluating, questioning, discussing, and hypothesizing what that information means becomes the process they will use to solve all problems. Students become self-directed, independent learners who will work well in teams as they solve current and future problems in all kinds of settings. The roles for faculty also change dramatically, for they become mentors or tutors whose task is to help students discover and foster an effective process for solving problems.