Educational Bridge Building 201:Service Learning and

Interdisciplinary Initiatives

T. Michael Toole, Ph.D., P.E.

Assoc. Prof., Civil & Env. EngineeringBucknell University

Introduction• Q: How can we make our students’ learning – Deep?– Lasting?– Relevant?

• A: Build bridges!

4 Educational Bridge Principles

• Build it high and on a firm foundation• Make students part of the construction

crew• Use composite materials• Connect real things

Build it High and on a Firm Foundation

• Set bar high: Don’t give floodwaters a chance

• Build a solid foundation for stability and scour resistance

Make Students Part of the Construction Crew

• Learning starts before class• Rich, challenging,

gratifying classroom community• Service learning does

this wonderfully

Use Composite Materials• Most interesting topics are complex• Most interesting problems require

multiple skill sets and perspectives• Everything has strengths and

weaknesses

Multi- and Interdisciplinary Approaches

• Bring in a teaching partner• Use your limitations to raise intellectual

curiosity• Assemble multi-disciplinary teams to

tackle complex problems

Example: ILTM• Institute for Leadership in Technology and

Management (www.bucknell.edu.iltm)• 6-week intensive summer program provided

jointly by both colleges• Engineers, Management and Liberal Arts

Students, Faculty and Industry Leaders• Classroom, site visits, projects

Connect Real Things• Theory can be beautiful and • Knowledge can be for knowledge’s sake but….• No lecture or course should be an island or a

bridge to nowhere and• Reality reaches out and grabs you!

Bridges to the Real World• ILTM teams tackle real clients’ real

problems–Managing food marketer supply chains in

China and India–Adoption of single port access surgical

technique–Adoption of PDAs for field service inspections–Online systems for transferring financial

assets upon death of owner

Service Learning Rocks!

• SL = course-enhancing service + reflection + reciprocity

• Solving real community problems• Promotes civic engagement• Experiential learning is deep and lasting• Taps into Millennials’ wants

Service Learning Engineering Senior Design Projects• Health clinic incinerator in Nicaragua• Local volunteer fire house• Eco-Tourism Village in Mexico• Water line in Nicaragua• Landfill in Nicaragua• Water line in Suriname (current project)

El Porvenir Waterline Project

• Affiliated with Bucknell Brigade

• 4 MechE SDT designed pump system

• 1 CivE student designed pipeline

Projects for Peace Funding

• Students and staff constructed pump house using P4P funds in 2007

Project Finally Finished May 2009(Thanks for the help, Office of Service

Learning!)

Closing• Four principles from bridges– High designs– Everybody builds– Multiple materials/methods– Make it real

• Two proud examples– ILTM– Engineering Senior Design Projects

• Looking forward to hearing about your bridges!