Center for Education Innovation
The Center for Education Innovation at South Dakota Mines aims to amplify impact and drive value creation through experiential learning, responsive programs, and high-quality teaching. The department is inter- and multi-disciplinary by design and serves as an incubator and launching pad to support experimentation and exploration of new ways of educating students, conducting research, increasing economic development, serving industry and learner needs, and supporting learner economic mobility.
Project-based learning, innovation-based learning, and entrepreneurship are critical for developing new engineers. They're essential for problem-solving and critical thinking. One of the best parts of my education has been working in teams on projects that are based on real-world problems. That's been an amazing experience.
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Department Overview
- Experiential Learning: Innovative learning experiences rooted in hands-on, project-based learning that support research advancement, economic development, and student learning and engagement.
- Responsive Programs: Development and launch of programs designed to meet the unique needs of clearly defined target audiences and delivered through effective and engaging instructional strategies.
- High-Quality Teaching: Innovative and engaging instructional practices that immerse students in deep learning experiences where they are challenged and supported.
Innovation-Based Learning (IBL)
At South Dakota Mines, we believe in being "hands-on from day one." Innovation-Based Learning (IBL) takes that idea further.
IBL is like R&D (research and development), but at the university level. Students identify an unmet need in industry, define the problem, explore possible solutions, build prototypes, test them, and communicate results to industry partners and other stakeholders. Along the way, they discover how innovation really works, asking and answering questions such as: Is the idea technically feasible? Is there a market for it? How do existing patents affect the approach?
Most students learn about innovation after they graduate. At South Dakota Mines, you can start on day one.
Work-Based Learning (WBL)
Work-Based Learning (WBL) is an immersive approach to learning and applying technical, design, and professional skills and knowledge.
Through WBL courses in our Master of Engineering program, for example, graduate students will research and tackle real engineering problems they face in their industry workplace. Instead of stepping away from work to return to school, these engineering professionals bring their work into this master's level program.
Have more questions?
Dr. Darcy Briggs
O'Harra Building, Room 201