Teaching and Learning Webinars (CTE7510): The IMPACT Project: Authentic Learning by Design

Thursday, November 7, 2019 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm EST (GMT -05:00)

Facilitator: Katherine Lithgow (Centre for Teaching Excellence)

Location: MC 2036

Description

Presenter:  Robert Fleisig, Associate Profession in Engineering at McMaster University

The IMPACT (Interdisciplinary, Meaningful/Mentorship, Practice , Applied, Collaborative/Community Transformative) Project is a community-engaged interdisciplinary authentic learning experience for first-year engineering students, undergraduate biology students, and graduate-level occupational therapy students. Together, the students, staff, and faculty from these three communities work with local community members to identify a problem area, collaboratively design devices, and ultimately delivering a useable solution to one or more users. This project has been ongoing since 2012.

The IMPACT Project is built around a freshmen engineering course on engineering practice and the profession. Using a new problem each year, the approximately 1000 engineering students are tasked with designing a device for the user(s). The 200–300 biology and occupational therapy students volunteer as design reviewers. At the end of the project, a public showcase and competition results in a final best design and prototype which is handed to the user(s).

Learning in the IMPACT Project is facilitated with the use of several pieces of digital technology, including electronic learning portfolios. This webinar will describe the design of the IMPACT Project and the strategies employed to organize the disparate groups and schedules, methods used to capture students work, and how student collaboration across multiple disciplines was achieved and facilitated by digital technology.

Registration

Registration is required. CTE has a new registration system called GoSignMeUp. Before you can register for a workshop, you need to create an account (one time only). Once you've created an account, you can register for this workshop. 

Cancellations

Many of our workshops have waiting lists, so if you've registered but can't attend, please cancel your registration well in advance through the registration system, so that someone else can fill your spot.

Accessibility

The University of Waterloo is committed to achieving barrier-free accessibility for persons with disabilities who are studying, working, or visiting at Waterloo. If you have questions concerning access, such as parking, building layouts, or obtaining information in alternative formats, or wish to request accommodations for a CTE workshop or event, please contact CTE via email (cte@uwaterloo.ca) or phone (ext. 33857) and include the session’s title and date. Our workshops typically involve a mix of presentation and discussion-based activities, and we encourage a scent-free environment. We also welcome accompanying assistants, interpreters, or note-takers; notify us if accommodations are needed in this regard. Please note that some accommodations may require time to arrange.