Embedding Faculty Into Industry: Understanding The Real World Expectations Of Our Graduates

Engineering technology students face intense educational demands in school. Their faculty, challenged to develop coursework that balances theory and applied principles, endeavor to create an environment that mirrors the rigor of real-world industry demands. As job descriptions continue to broaden under a constantly evolving tsunami of technology, hardware, and software solutions, professors have less time to ensure that information disseminated to their students parallels the current needs of their industry partners. This problem is commonplace for many faculty, whose goal is to offer the most relevant classroom experience possible to their students. One solution may be overtly obvious; faculty should embed themselves in the industry fields where their students will ultimately gain employment. In the summer of 2008, the authors took part in the Faculty Education Program hosted by Rhythm + Hues in Los Angeles, California, a world leader in realistic, three-dimensional animation and special effects for the film industry. Digital production in Hollywood represents an innovative front of technological problem solving. In this arena professors can evaluate the relevancy of their technological curriculum, as well as the context of their own craftsmanship, by participating in summer embedding programs with intense production environments. This paper details the experiences and lessons learned through a comprehensive explanation of the Rhythm + Hues Faculty Education Program. Furthermore, the authors describe how this model can be applied to strengthen the professional and pedagogical development of other faculty, regardless of their engineering technology discipline.