Transatlantic Biosystems Engineering Curriculum and Mobility (TABE Transatlantic Biosystems Engineering Curriculum and Mobility (TABE.NET)

TABE.NET Funding and Personnel Funded by EU-US Atlantis program (2009-2013) US partners Virginia Tech (lead), Mary Leigh Wolfe University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Rich Gates EU partners University College Dublin (Ireland) (lead), Nick Holden Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (Spain), Francesco Ayuga University of Bari (Italy), Giacomo Scarascia, Francesco Gentile Agricultural University of Athens (Greece), Demetres Briassoulis External Evaluator Mike Delwiche, University of California, Davis

Overall Project Goal To advance internationalization of Biosystems Engineering curricula and to develop a global awareness within the discipline

Specific Objectives Define the common threads within the BE discipline Globalize core BE courses by creating a database of multinational examples Develop innovative courses to advance the continuing development of BE programs in the US and EU (and globally) Enhance the global perspectives of both students and faculty Create a cohort of students aware of, and able to work in, a global employment market

Project Activities Student mobility Curriculum development Faculty mobility

Student Mobility Each EU partner is sending 6 students to US (3 to each institution; 4 x 6 = 24) Each US partner is sending 12 students to EU (6 to each institution; 2 x 12 = 24) One or two semesters study abroad Scholarships $5,000 or €5,000 To date: 19 student mobilities (17 funded by TABE.NET) over 25 semesters of study abroad

Student Mobility Numbers (fall 2010 – fall 2012) 3 UCD 1 3 UPM 2 1 UIUC 2 UB 2 4 2 AUA VT 2 1

Challenges Related to Student Mobility Language Greece, Italy, Spain Courses taught in Greek, Italian, and Spanish Language training before and during the exchange Support from English-speaking faculty at host institution United States Demonstration of English proficiency for admission Course transfer/recognition

Staff/Faculty Mobility EU partners: 2 scholars each for teaching and curriculum development plus 1 UCD scholar for dissemination and reporting ([2 x 4] + 1 = 9 staff mobilities) US partners: 2 scholars each for curriculum development and research collaboration (4 staff mobilities)

Curriculum Development Activities Produce resources that can be implemented in a variety of ways by BE programs around the world Develop materials in English, with abstracts translated into the languages of the partners Conduct activities to produce scholarly publications

Curriculum Activities Common threads of the biosystems engineering discipline Database of multinational examples for core BE courses Course development: Collaborative online (web-based) design project Course development: Online (web based) innovation and entrepreneurship Course development: What is biosystems engineering?

Activity 1. Common Threads of the Biosystems Engineering Discipline Define competences Core competences General - mostly related to math, science, engineering, and humanities-economics Generic - communication, cooperation, design ability, etc. Mid-level competences Relate to applied BE topics or specialization Are addressed with applied courses on specialised areas of expertise over the 2nd cycle program of studies (or during the last two years of the integrated programs of studies). Evaluate the competences to identify the common threads

Activity 2. Database of Multinational Examples Increase the global relevance of the courses and enhance the learning experience of the students illustrate the variability and similarity of global issues with respect to geography, climate, political system, culture, and other characteristics Design the database structure and format for describing a multinational example Solicit examples from faculty of the partner institutions Enter examples into the database, which will be made accessible through the project website (www.ucd.ie/tabe)

Activity 3. Collaborative Online (web-based) Design Project Course Course coordinator will compile international teams to work on the design problem using eTutors/eMentors to support the teams and provide structured learning support materials Course will be based on the UCD course BSEN10010 Biosystems Engineering Design Challenge (found by following links at http://www.ucd.ie/students/course_search.htm) The “Design” team has established a Scholar project site through which team members have shared their CVs and information about the current design activities in their respective programs Addressing issues of timetable and time zone

Activity 4. Online Innovation and Entrepreneurship Course Address issues such as business plans, intellectual property, marketing finances and law Develop using resources from NovaUCD (example material at http://www.ucd.ie/nova/podcasts/) and other partner institutions Core curriculum will be supplemented by localization and examples drawn from BE and existing entrepreneurship courses (e.g. engineering.illinois.edu/news/index.php?xId=071509120 742) Team has agreed a curriculum and approach that addresses timetable and time zone issues

Activity 5. Course Development: What is Biosystems Engineering? Proposal vision: Seminar course focusing on key global issues about which biosystems engineers have expertise, specifically, water, air, biological resources, energy, and food Goal of introducing BE students to these global issues, including the role of biosystems engineers in addressing problems in these areas Seminar materials developed and contributed by all partners Blended learning approach, including common on-line lectures (seminar presentations) and local tutorials Target student will be a mid-level undergraduate, for example a sophomore or junior in the US and in the 3rd year of level 1 or 1st year of level two in EU

Learning from Collaboration Relationship-building Regular conference calls increase individual productivity and group progress Differences in teaching approaches, e.g., theory vs. application Vocabulary differences, e.g., courses, modules, resources, materials, staff faculty

Join us! Curriculum Development Student Mobility To develop materials To evaluate materials To use materials Student Mobility

Transatlantic Biosystems Engineering Curriculum and Mobility (TABE Transatlantic Biosystems Engineering Curriculum and Mobility (TABE.NET)