To Cohort or Not to Cohort:

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To Cohort or Not to Cohort
AAPT 127th National Meeting Physics Outside the
Box August 2-6, 2003 -- Madison, WI

• An Experiment in Extensive Integration
• and Partial Differentiation
• Yevgeniya V. Zastavker
• Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering

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Why a New Engineering College?
A call for systemic engineering education
reform to prepare leaders able to predict,
create and manage the technologies of the future.
NSF, ABET, ASCE, NAE, ASEE, NRC circa 1990

• A superb command of the engineering fundamentals
• Broad perspectives on the role of engineering in
  society
• The creativity to envision new solution to
  engineering challenges
• The entrepreneurial skills to bring vision to
  reality

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Clean Slate Creating a Renaissance Engineer

• Size Projected total enrollment 600.
• Program Undergraduate engineering.
• Majors B.S. in electrical and computer
  engineering, mechanical engineering and
  engineering
• Curriculum Project-based, team-oriented
  approach emphasizing business and
  entrepreneurship, arts and humanities and
  rigorous technical fundamentals.
• Scholarship All admitted students receive a
  four-year full-tuition scholarship valued at
  120,000.
• Faculty 25 full-time and 2 academic partners
  17 men and 10 women
• Student to Faculty Ratio Currently 5 to 1
  anticipated ratio of 10 to 1 at full enrollment
  of 600 students.
• Innovations No tenure awarded, no academic
  departments faculty is multi-disciplinary.

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Curricular Philosophy
Rigorous Engineering Fundamentals
AHS Arts/Humanities/Social Sciences Creativity,
Innovation, Design, and Communications
E! Business/Entrepreneurship Philanthropy and
Ethics
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Curriculum Distinctive Features

• interdisciplinary teaching
• an emphasis on teamwork and communication
• consideration of the social, economic, and
  political
• contexts of engineering
• an emphasis on design- and project-based
  learning
• do-learn environment
• passionate pursuits and co-curricular
  activities
• gates regular institution-wide assessment
  periods
• sophomore and senior design projects
  capstones.

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Curricular Structure
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Foundation Years Curricular Scope

• COHORTS
• integrated block of course(s) and project(s)
• FREE-STANDING COURSES
• non-cohorted courses and projects, including
  free electives
• AHS
• arts, humanities and social sciences
• SOPHOMORE DESIGN PROJECT
• team design and implementation of a
  student-chosen product

• NON-DEGREE CREDIT
• extracurricular activities undertaken for
  non-degree credit, e.g. Passionate Pursuits,
  Co-Curricular Activities, Research, or
  Independent Studies
• GATES
• end of year assessment activities
• LEARNING PLANS
• student-written documents used to shape his/her
  education.

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Foundation Structure
Gate
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Cohort Philosophy and History
Course Sequence OR- Integrated course block

• coordination of curriculum to stress the links
  between science, mathematics, and engineering
• providing a common foundation to all
  engineering students regardless of their
  specialization
• handling of open-ended problems
• interdisciplinary learning and working on
  multidisciplinary problems
• an emphasis on teamwork and cooperative
  working environment.

• Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
• Math, Physics, Chemistry, Design, Graphical
  Communication, CS
• Arizona State University
• English, Math, Physics, Engineering Design
• North Carolina State University
• CS, Civil Engineering, Math, Physics, ECE
• Drexel University
• Math, Science, and Engineering.

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Cohort Philosophy and History

• Integrated course block
• equivalent to 1 or more conventional course(s)
  and project(s)
• interdisciplinary teaching and learning
• an emphasis on teamwork and communication
• handling of open-ended problems
• an emphasis on design- and project-based
  learning do-learn environment
• consideration of the social, economic, and
  political contexts of engineering
• relationship between theory and application
• student choice of an application or cohort
  flavor or cohort option.

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Cohort Structure
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Cohort Vision and Implementation
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Cohort Syllabus Map
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Project SyllabusThings That Go Cohort
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Cohort SyllabusThings That Go Cohort
   
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Physics SyllabusThings That Go Cohort vs.
Traditional Physics
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Physics SyllabusThings That Go Cohort vs.
Traditional Physics
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Physics SyllabusThings That Go Cohort vs.
Traditional Physics

• Much faster pace
• Flexible physics calendar
• Sequence of topics dependent on project and
  math necessities
• Co-dependence on math and project for
  presentation of various topics
• Creative lab environment no canned
  laboratory exercises and write-ups
• Learning of lab design and manufacturing
  skills
• Direct application of knowledge gained in
  class environment

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Project SyllabiThings That Go vs. Kinetic
Sculpture Cohort
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Physics SyllabusKinetic Sculpture Cohort vs.
Traditional Physics

• Much faster pace
• Flexible physics calendar
• Sequence of topics dependent on math
  necessities
• Co-dependence on math and project for
  presentation of various topics
• LOTS of individual tutoring of physics, math,
  and fabrication
• Creative lab environment no canned
  laboratory exercises and write-ups
• Learning of lab design and manufacturing
  skills
• Direct application of knowledge gained in
  class environment

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Student Reactions to PhysicsCohort Comparison
The Content of This Course Was
This Course Stimulated My Interest in the Subject
This Course Provided Opportunities to Apply the
Knowledge I Gained
Assignments in This Course Contributed Effectively
to My Learning
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Student Reactions to PhysicsCohort Comparison
This Course Was Well-Coordinated With Other
Courses In This Cohort
This Course Was Well-Integrated With Other
Courses In This Cohort
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The Cohort System Pros

• holistic and coherent education
• blurring the boundaries between science,
  engineering, and social aspects
• learning to work in a real-world environment
• transferability of the teaching method
• fostering learning by motivation.

Students Speaking

• Im not sure what was reinforcing whatit all
  went together exactly as I expected. WOW.
  This is how the real world works. THIS IS
  EXACTLY HOW OLIN SHOULD BE. I LOVE MY COHORT.
• There were many times where I was unsure whether
  I was doing math homework, physics homework, a
  projects assignment or even EC homework.
• The project showed us that the math and physics
  had actual uses in things like projectiles. The
  projects are like a direct reward for learning
  the math and physics.
• Were able to cover so much, so well, because it
  all intertwines and reinforces each other and the
  project backs it up.
• This was an eye-opening physics class. Practical
  applications of the physics were dripping all
  throughout the course.

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The Cohort System Cons

• large faculty time commitment
• restrictions on the choice of each discipline
  topics
• restrictions on scheduling of each discipline
  topic (dependence on other
• disciplines)
• steep learning curve for instructors learning
  each others language
• difficulty with advanced students and their
  needs.

Students Speaking

• I can definitely see that for a project like
  Kinetic Sculpture, getting to the relevant
  physics in time for students to have the
  resources they need, when they need them, is
  terribly tricky.
• In this cohort, the math and physics are just
  normal classes like anywhere else, and we apply
  what we learn in projectWhat would be truly
  innovative and useful would be if the project
  class provided the motivation for learning by
  raising questions an instigating thought BEFORE
  the other classes teach the concepts.
• A big disadvantage is that if you dont
  understand something in particular, you may be
  messed up in the other subjects of the cohort as
  well.
• I have come to hate do-learn. I just want to be
  taught, lectured to even. Its so frustrating to
  be thrown into a situation with so little
  preparation and so little instruction.
• We can only take so much of the do-learn method
  before we get discouraged.

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Lessons Learned

• Cohort must be physics centered (not project
  centered), I.e. it must serve the role of the
  tie between math and projects
• Many small projects must be done prior to
  completing a final project
• Projects must be common, not individualized
• Project must be well-defined and
  well-constrained
• The choice of small projects must be made on
  the basis of physics learned and fabrication
  skills
• Extra thought must be placed into correct
  utilization of the do-learn methodology.

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