A Learning-by-Doing Technology Program Based on Traditional Engineering Foundations and Hands-on Implementation-Driven

This paper presents the implementation of an Information Engineering Technology (IET) program that borrows from traditional engineering programs to build student foundations and at the same time prepares industry-ready professionals. The paper describes the building blocks of the program, focusing on curriculum and student outcomes. The IET curriculum is based on a learning-by-doing approach and includes intensive hands-on activities. By partnering with the industry, students are exposed since their freshman year to real industrial tools, hands-on activities and simple engineering design, which helps in engaging and motivating them to persist in the program. Student outcomes are analyzed according to specific knowledge, technique and skills relevant to the local stakeholders. Assessment and evaluation of student outcomes, collected through direct and indirect measures, demonstrate the effectiveness of the IET program to prepare students for the market-place and for attaining student outcomes.