Higher Education: You’re Missing the Point | Andrew Gerhart | TEDxBradley University
Has higher education advanced significantly since, say, the 15th Century? Sure, we’ve gained laptop computing, comfortable seating, whiteboards, cozy study spaces, air conditioning, and indoor plumbing. The majority of classroom instruction, though, seems to focus on subject-related content. In engineering education, I call this the technical content. The student is missing something as important: mindset education. While it is important for a fluid mechanics engineer to understand how to properly incorporate friction losses in the mechanical energy equation, what is the point in knowing that skill if it does not provide a meaningful and positive societal impact? Learning experiences should be designed so that the student must uncover opportunities that will create value, embrace lifelong learning, consider the ethical implications of decisions, and take responsibility for one’s decisions. These mindset learning objectives can be streamlined into any subject-related content. Dr. Andrew Gerhart is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Lawrence Technological University (Southfield, MI) with primary focus areas including thermo-fluids, active and collaborative student-centered learning, and engineering education. Dr. Gerhart has written over 90 publications and authored four books, including the top-selling fluid mechanics textbook in the world. He has facilitated over 100 workshops worldwide on active learning and mindset education.
Dr. Gerhart was awarded the 2010 Michigan Professor of the Year (by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education), is a Fellow of the Engineering Society of Detroit, and is actively involved in the American Society for Engineering Educators and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers serving on the Performance Test Code Committee for Air-cooled Condensers. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
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