iFoundry: Organizational Change for the Transformation of Engineering Education

iFoundry : Organizational Change for Transformation of Engineering Education David E. Goldberg Illinois Foundry for Innovation in Engineering Education University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Urbana, IL 61801 USA [email_address]

Motivation & Roadmap
Good thinking & doing in engineering education.
Need engineers as category creators
Why can’t we change more broadly & quickly?
Roadmap
The institutional problem of change: An academic NIMBY problem.
Promoting respectful change.
iFoundry: Six elements for change.
© David E. Goldberg 2008

An Academic NIMBY Problem
NIMBY = Not in my backyard.
“ It is OK to change the curriculum…”
“… .as long as you leave my course alone.”
Politics of logrolling: You support my not changing. I support your not changing.
Even though agreement for change is widespread, specific changes are resisted.

Can We Promote Respectful Change?
Have two problems:
Need locus for change.
Need respect for academic governance.
Three elements of solution:
Suggests pilot unit, where change is mission.
Need federalist governance.
Ultimate curriculum decision stays home.
Illinois established iFoundry: Illinois Foundry for Innovation in Engineering Education.

Six Elements of iFoundry
Collaborative, interdepartmental pilot unit. Permit change.
Volunteers. Enthusiasm for change among faculty & student participants.
Existing authority. Use signatory authority for modification of curricula for immediate pilot.
Respect faculty governance. Permanent changes go through usual channels.
Scalability. 300 @ teaching U vs. 5300 at research U.
Open-source curriculum change. Do it in the open.

Bottom Line
From cold war engineers to category creators.
Institution thwarts change.
iFoundry: A new pilot programs across departmental boundaries to promote change.
Organizational innovation is crucial to educational innovation.
Also need to consider nature of engineering and content of engineering education.
© David E. Goldberg 2008 http://www.illigal.uiuc.edu/web/ifoundry

iFoundry : Organizational Change for Transformation of Engineering Education David E. Goldberg Illinois Foundry for Innovation in Engineering Education University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Urbana, IL 61801 USA [email_address]

iFoundry: Organizational Change for the Transformation of Engineering Education

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