The Innovation Corps for Learning (I-Corps™ L) is an initiative of the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) in cooperation with the University of Minnesota, Arizona State University, Colorado State University, and Tufts University to apply the highly successful principles of NSF I-Corps™ towards a culture that will sustain and scale educational innovations. The NSF I-Corps™ program, on which I-Corps™ L is based, uses established strategies for start-ups to build entrepreneurial skills in the engineering and scientific communities that encourage mainstream application of emerging technologies. The overriding purposes of the 8 week I-Corps™ L course are to (1) provide a framework for each of the participating teams (typically 20 to 24 in a cohort) to assess the potential of their educational innovation for sustainability and scalability, and (2) foster an entrepreneurial mindset within the education community so that education products, programs, and services are designed and implemented in ways that promote widespread adoption.
In this paper and poster we summarize the essential features of I-Corps™ L, the changes made in the three iterations of the program thus far, and key evaluation results. We also present our assessment of the potential of the I-Corps™ L to contribute to the transformation of STEM education through the sustaining and scaling of NSF-funded research-based ideas.
Emeritus Professor of Civil, Environmental, and Geo- Engineering, Morse-Alumni Distinguished University Teaching Professor, Faculty Member, Technological Leadership Institute at the University of Minnesota; and Cooperative Learning Professor of Engineerin
Ann F. McKenna is a Professor in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering and Director of The Polytechnic School at Arizona State University. Prior to joining ASU she served as a program director at the National Science Foundation in the Division of Undergraduate Education, and was on the faculty in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Segal Design Institute at Northwestern University. Dr. McKenna received her B.S. and M.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Drexel University and Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley.
Rocio Chavela is Director of Education and Career Development at the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE). She holds a Ph.D. in Engineering Education from Purdue University, a B.S. and a M.S. in Chemical Engineering from Universidad de las Americas, Puebla in Mexico. Rocio’s current efforts focus on engineering faculty and graduate student development, with particular emphasis on the adoption of evidence-based instructional practices.
Russell Korte, PhD. studies the social, cultural, and professional systems in organizations and higher education, along with their effects on learning and performance. This work focuses on the professional education and socialization of engineering students, the work of practicing engineers, as well as the preparation of professionals for their future careers.
Dr. Korte is an Associate Professor of Human and Organizational Learning at The George Washington University where he combines his practical experiences of work in education, business, and industry with his research and teaching in professional education, professional practice, and the social foundations of work. He has published on topics ranging from organizational socialization (onboarding), workplace learning, organization studies, social science, and philosophy. He also works on a variety of topics supporting his students’ work on decision-making, the meaning of work, and social connectedness in school and the workplace. Korte received his Ph.D. in Work and Human Resource Education from the University of Minnesota.
Chris Swan is Associate Dean at the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service and an associate professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering department at Tufts University. He has additional appointments in the Department of Education and the Center for Engineering Education and Outreach at Tufts. His current engineering education research interests focus on learning through service-based projects and using an entrepreneurial mindset to further engineering education innovations. He also researches the development of reuse strategies for waste materials.
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