Universities are increasingly promoting programs and courses that focus on innovation to prepare students across disciplines for work in a competitive global economy. Information about program outcomes, target competencies, or best practices is limited given their early stages of development. This exploratory study examined eight academic programs offering an educational credential focused on innovation available to students in a variety of majors. The analyses of program descriptions and curricular requirements provide an understanding of their structure, content, and value they propose to students. This paper explores what teaching innovation means at a program-level and identifies where a curriculum is situated along the spectrum of topics that characterize innovation education. The results can be useful in developing and articulating core competencies related to innovation and understanding approaches to teaching it.
He was co-PI of two international EU-FIPSE funded grants. His scholarship agenda focuses on technological innovation, technological literacy, workforce development, and international dimensions of these fields. Increasingly, he has turned his attention to the field of technological innovation and the assessment of technological capability, understanding and innovation.Internationally he has worked in
located in West Lafayette, Indiana. He has over thirty-five years of theoretical and defense industry-based practical experience from four disciplines: software engineering, systems engineering, program management and human resources. Dr. Springer possesses a significant strength in pattern recognition, analyzing and improving organizational systems. He is internationally recognized and has contributed to scholarship more than 300 books, articles, presentations, editorials and reviews on software development methodologies, management, organizational change, and program management. Dr. Springer sits on many university and community boards and advisory committees. He is the recipient of numerous awards and recognitions, including local, regional and national recognitions for leadership in diversity, equity and inclusion; as well as, recognition for exceptional teaching and support of military connected students.
This is the fourth of four papers prepared for a special panel session of the National Collaborative Task Force on Engineering Graduate Education Reform focusing on new educational approaches and processes that better meet the development needs of the U.S. engineering workforce in industry to enhance global competitiveness. Further graduate development of the U.S. engineering workforce in industry is critical to the continuous improvement, invention, development, and innovation of new technology which is the engine for U.S. economic prosperity and competitiveness. This paper focuses on a unique model for workforce development that represents a significant advancement in professional graduate education extending through the professional masters, professional doctorate and fellow levels of engineering practice. This advancement in professional graduate education forms a new partnership for universityindustry engagement for U.S. engineering workforce development that completes a missing piece of the process to better enable U.S. technological innovation which is long overdue. The impact of project-based learning on industrial innovation is evidenced. This model is designed specifically to support the on-site engineering process for continuous improvement and innovation in industry. It purposefully integrates postgraduate professional education for industry's employed engineers with on-site technology development projects that are chosen to be directly relevant to industry's continuous innovation needs and high-end engineering projects. The returns for enhanced corporate advantage generated through this unique model are measured as a matrix of increasing complexity of economic worth of on-site projects and of increasing human proficiency gained for leadership of technological innovation. The Importance of Developing a World-Class Engineering Workforce: Educating Creative Professionals for Innovation and Leadership in Industry The United States of America must remain preeminent in creating new innovative technologies through engineering to enhance its economic prosperity, quality of life, and national security. Our technical capability is the engine that drives our national economy and provides for our national security. Professional development of the US engineering workforce is the critical to our very way of life. The vast majority of engineering innovations are needs-driven and market-focused (requiring
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