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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!