• Implementing the Student-Centered Educational Experience

Implementing a Student-Centered Educational Experience

Provide a student-centered educational experience that attracts diverse, high quality students, enables them to realize their potential, inspires them to pursue excellence at all degree levels, and grooms them to become leaders in their profession. 

  One of the strengths of the College of Engineering is the vibrancy of our undergraduate and graduate programs.  We are the only comprehensive engineering program in the state; offering 9 BS degrees, 14 MS degrees, and doctoral degrees in all the major fields of engineering. Engineering graduates of the University of Arkansas have a proven record of excellence in all arenas, including academia, entrepreneurship, and industry. Our challenge is to sustain and further build on this record of success.  We must continue to communicate our program successes, aiming to increase the visibility of the College and further enhance its stature.  Integral to meeting our education-related vision is the challenge to further grow our undergraduate and graduate student body in terms of quantity, diversity, and overall quality.  The Freshman Engineering program, implemented in fall 2007, seeks to improve student retention from the freshman year and beyond by building collaborative learning communities in a structured environment. The Engineering Career Awareness Program (ECAP) implemented in fall 2007 is an engineering diversity recruitment-to-graduation opportunity for students that incorporates real-life experiences through paid co-op positions with scholarships and mentoring.

Traditional classroom instruction remains a strong emphasis in the College, however, fully preparing students to become professionals in a global economy requires us to provide a variety of opportunities at the graduate and undergraduate levels. The Engineering Honors program offers unique opportunities for highly-qualified students, and we are enhancing our Honors program offerings and expanding our undergraduate research activities.  Cooperative education and internship programs offer students practical work experiences and will be further strengthened through increased student and corporate participation.  Students have opportunities to participate in the development of commercial products through entities such as the GENESIS business incubator, and students can use their knowledge for the good of society through service leaning projects with local, national and international organizations such as Engineers Without Borders. Increasing study abroad opportunities allows students to learn and experience a variety of cultures and appreciate the global impact of engineering solutions.  Recognition of outstanding graduate students through programs such as NSF graduate fellowships, DoD and NASA Fellowships, GEM Fellowships, Distinguished Doctoral Fellowships, and Doctoral Academy Fellowships are being actively pursued with considerable success. 

Perhaps the most significant contributor to a quality educational experience is the faculty. A faculty mentoring system fosters quality in education. The College seeks to develop faculty as “integrated scholars” – those individuals who incorporate and balance all three facets of academic excellence at a land-grant institution: research, teaching, and service. Building a community of integrated scholars is vital to maintaining and strengthening a high quality student-centered educational environment within the College of Engineering.

The educational experience we provide attracts and excites undergraduate and graduate students, inspires them to seek higher levels of excellence and accomplishment, and provides the tools necessary for success. We have expanded research opportunities at both the graduate and undergraduate levels; we continue to promote and reward high-quality instruction in the classroom and the laboratory; and we encourage students to seek avenues for applying their experiences to business and technological advancement of Arkansas and the world.

The Strategic Plan for the College of Engineering envisions a continued strong commitment to providing a high quality, student-centered educational experience at all degree levels. Achieving the vision set forth involves developing and enhancing initiatives which require careful planning, timely execution, and consistent accountability. The following list provides actions necessary for successful implementation of the Strategic Plan. Table 1a summarizes the metrics (measurable outcomes) used to assess our progress.  Tables 1b and 1c provide those metrics used in computing national program/school rankings.

Implementation Actions

• Continue the aggressive marketing campaign for student recruitment and begin an aggressive national press campaign to highlight College of Engineering programs
• Fully implement, support, assess, and improve the Freshman Engineering Program in the College of Engineering
• Expand the active recruitment of diverse, upper tier engineering talent to our programs with competitive scholarships, fellowships, and aggressive recruitment and hiring plans
• Further develop and expand the thriving Engineering Honors program through increased course offerings, additional undergraduate research and study abroad opportunities, and increased program completion rates.
• Encourage graduate students to participate in the Entrepreneurship Certificate Program developed by the Walton College of Business
• Create more partnerships with industry and organizations to promote and implement service-based learning opportunities for students both domestically and abroad
• Strengthen the cooperative education and internship program through increased recruitment and opportunities
• Balance faculty teaching/research/service loads commensurate with enrollment
• Recruit a diverse body of undergraduate students through increased and targeted k-12 outreach and the Engineering Career Awareness Program (ECAP)
• Enhance and expand job placement opportunities for graduates by expanding our network of quality employers, while also increasing job placement rates