St. Louis, Missouri
June 18, 2000
June 18, 2000
June 21, 2000
5.549.1 - 5.549.7
SLOPE: An Effort towards Infusing Service -Learning into Physics and Engineering Education
Abhijit Nagchaudhuri, Ali Eydgahi, Asif Shakur University of Maryland Eastern Shore/University of Maryland EasternShore/Salisbury State University
ABSTRACT The acronym SLOPE - "Service Learning Opportunities in Physics and Engineering" has provided an umbrella for infusing "Service-Learning" seamlessly into a recently articulated collaborative engineering program among UMES (University of Maryland Eastern Shore) a Historically Black College and University (HBCU), SSU (Salisbury State University) and the University of Maryland College Park(UMCP). The agreement provides a means of bringing an ABET accredited engineering degree program from the prestigious Clark School of Engineering at College Park to the residents of Eastern Shore region of the State of Maryland. Since its inception in the fall of 1998, the SLOPE program has helped identify and serve specific needs in the Eastern Shore Community by way of faculty supervised student projects. These student projects have been chosen either by the student/student group or assigned by the faculty. In all cases the faculty members involved with the program have ensured compatibility with course material and desired learning objectives. Specific attention has been paid to the Engineering Criteria 2000 of ABET in developing the activities of the SLOPE program. Experiential learning integrated with community service has provided a means for the students to "learn" as they "serve". It has provided the foundation for a symbiotic win-win relationship between the student and the community. It is quite early to predict the impact of these activities on the retention and performance of students in Physics and Engineering disciplines. However, early indications suggest that involvement in the university, community, local high schools and within their own families via "Service-Learning" projects will significantly improve the possibility of retaining the students in the university till the award of their degrees.
With the approach of the new millennium and the emergence of the global market, significant restructuring of university education in general, and Science and Engineering education in particular1 is taking place with the objective of preparing the students for the new social and economic order.
Shakur, A. M., & Eydgahi, A., & Nagchaudhuri, A. (2000, June), Slope : An Effort Towards Infusing Service Learning In Physics And Engineering Education Paper presented at 2000 Annual Conference, St. Louis, Missouri. 10.18260/1-2--8700
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