Engineering Program Growth with Mesh Network Collaboration

Small Colleges and Universities (SCU) are an untapped resource for holistic Engineering Education, creative entrepreneurial “big ideas”, and growth of national science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) literacy in a competitive global market. This paper helps to clarify and examine some of the tradeoffs for existing and proposed two, four, and five year SCU engineering programs and suggest ways to support future growth and improve the quality of existing programs with proven adaptive mesh network architecture. Analogous to a wireless mesh network, a communication topology is implemented between universities (each like a mesh node) that can relay data across the network with a clearly defined protocol (standardization and articulation agreements). Existing SCU programs and in particular Liberal Arts Colleges and Universities (LACU) Engineering Physics Programs have many advantages over large engineering schools. However, they may be weaker in the number of class offerings, available ABET BS majors, department distinctive capacities, low upper class enrollments, facilities and equipment, and job opportunities and fairs. Presently, there exist a number of weakly connected 3+2 programs, transfer programs, 2 year Engineering Technology programs, and non-accredited programs. A baseline 2 year freshman and sophomore curriculum program is proposed based on case studies, on research, and on alumni questionnaires. After a decade of SCU Engineering Physics teaching experience it was also found effective by faculty to give closure to the 2 year program curriculum with a sophomore-type “Cornerstone” class called “Principles of Engineering”. This integrative class is essential for 2 year students to be effective in the workforce as an Engineering Technologist job applicant, as a competitive summer intern applicant, and in deciding on a specific Engineering major. As a result, students obtain job ready skills and project abilities in 2 years that can greatly leverage their early learning and focus. In a multi-university collaboration, all participants gain in shared information including: articulation agreements, ABET start-up templates and shared consultant advice, summer internships, legal forms, competitions, joint projects and other synergistic areas. Using a collaboration mesh network strategy coupled with hybrid technology and proven teaching strengths, a more efficient program is planned for pilot testing for SCU consortiums toward further feasibility assessment.