EPICS: Learning Design Through Service-Learning William Oakes, P.E. Director
(Engineering) students need more than technical knowledge to succeed: teamwork, communication, customer-awareness, project management, leadership, ethics, professionalism Community-service and education organizations need access to technical expertise that is normally prohibitively expensive: improved, enhanced, and new services Motivation: The EPICS Partnership Service-Learning
Example EPICS Projects The EnvironmentEducation & Outreach Human ServicesAccess and Abilities
EPICS Projects: Education & Outreach Projects with local museums: Hands-on science exhibits Power systems Virtual reality history tour Museum climate monitoring system Interactive zoo designs Partnerships with local K- 12 schools K-12 outreach projects Technology & girls Technology-assisted job training Affordable designs
EPICS Projects: Human Services Habitat for Humanity Sustainable designs for new homes Energy analyses Web-based home selection guide Construction tools Information management for homelessness prevention IT support for not-for-profits Alternative Energy Underserved populations
EPICS Projects: Access & Abilities Campus Accessibility Remote note taking Moveable bookshelf Campus transportation Communication Devices Apps for communcation Complex play environments for young children with physical disabilities Multimedia systems to stimulate speech in developmentally delayed children
EPICS Projects: Environmental Constructed Wetland Demonstration of technology Educational facility Campus Sustainability Water Conservation Recycling (New Zealand) Processing waste glass into sand for use in construction materials Conversion of waste cooking oil to bio-diesel as an alternative fuel
EPICS Decouples Timescales Student Learning Semester/Quarter Project Semester/Quarter Student Learning Project Community Receives Long-Term Support They Need
EPICS Characteristics Long term projects: Long-term partnerships with community organizations no charge to partners Multi-semester design experience: academic credit Team-based design experience multidisciplinary (Purdue:70+ majors) Vertically-integrated teams: first-year to fourth year Open-ended design: define-design-build-test-deploy-support EPICS teams can tackle projects of significant size, scope, and impact
“High Schools Improving Lives with Engineering Projects in Community Service-Learning” Serve Explore Prepare Design Succeed Grow
Impact: Changing the Equation EPICS High is attracting underrepresented populations.
EPICS Programs EPICS Curriculum Provides Service- Learning Design Education Project Management Community Partnerships Disciplinary Knowledge from Departments EPICS Programs Projects and Problems from Local Community Institutional Curriculum and Culture
The EPICS Consortium EPICS programs at 21 universities 47 High schools in seven states Staff to support university and high school expansion