Coordinating Laboratory Courses Across Engineering And Science Curricula

An emphasis on discipline-specific content in laboratories in higher education can lead engineering and science students to perceive an experience in one course as irrelevant to work in other disciplines, and often even to subsequent course work within the same discipline. This compartmentalized approach compromises the progressive advancement of laboratory skills and acquisition of problem-solving capabilities. In order to address this issue, instructors for laboratory courses in Bioengineering, Chemical Engineering, Physics, Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Chemistry, and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Rice University have met regularly to discuss how to develop scientifically literate graduates who build upon prior laboratory experience as students advance through their programs. Discussions have led to several cross-disciplinary initiatives.