This grouping helps students make friends quickly with other engineering students, producing a small school atmosphere. Also, the faculty members teaching the core subjects to each student cohort meet weekly to integrate course topics, helping students realize the connections between the core subjects. One of the most popular aspects of TIDE is the engineering design projects. Such teamwork enables students to select the correct career path early and promotes a professional focus. The TIDE classrooms are different than traditional classrooms.
Students sit in four-person teams around small tables equipped with a computer at each end.
Lectures are interspersed with short team exercises, frequently involving the computer. Students learn to help each other master the concepts and skills necessary to advance in the engineering curriculum. The TIDE program is based on earlier freshman curricula developed by the Foundation Coalition. The University of Alabama is one of seven schools funded by the National Science Foundation to promote innovation in engineering education. Faculty at The University of Alabama continue to work with their Foundation Coalition partners to develop innovations for the sophomore, junior, and senior years of engineering education.