Priorities:Worcester polytechnic institute student priorities

WPI Spring 2018 and 2019 Priorities 

<span style="font-size:medium;"Strategy #1 (Sydney)- Create a more collaborative learning experience in general education classes</span>
1.1- Create class sizes of no more than 18 students

1.2- Implement example based classes as opposed to lecture based, to cater to the students’ project based learning at WPI.

1.3-Promote collaboration and discussion among students, mimicking the workplace.
Strategy #2 (Dennis) - Allow the consistent currency among students (Goatbucks for WPI) to be used in fundraising events.
2.1- Encourage students to give support new initiatives on campus.

2.2- Utilize the current system of “Goatbucks” instead of cash or venmo to increase donations to philanthropic events and other fundraising.

2.3- Create an environment where international students are not excluded from events requiring apps connected to banks such as venmo.
Strategy #3 (Anika) - Create a central hub for campus information in a smartphone application
3.1- Use a map of campus to allow students to “pin” their study group locations for particular classes on campus, to foster collaboration.

3.2- Create a calendar with ALL campus events displayed to make students more aware of what is going on, on campus.

3.3- Provide an updated daily schedule for the dining locations on campus including menus.

3.4- Create one central messaging portal to be used between students, resident advisors, and clubs.

3.5- Link underclassmen who may have an undecided major to upperclassmen with similar interest through a survey in the app.
Strategy #4 (Sri) - Matching up freshmen with an upperclassman mentor in their major
4.1-  Match incoming freshmen with seniors based on research or career interests of freshmen and work seniors are doing during NSO (New Student Orientation).

4.2-  Organize sessions during the first semester for freshmen to “shadow” senior’s work, including projects, understanding social culture, and career prospects

4.3- Have networking events specifically for freshmen (and sophomores, if interested) with seniors, professionals and alumni to understand their field better and help any undecided major students to get a perspective.

4.4- Have the senior mentor assess the student’s class schedule before registration and help find/organize extracurricular interests

Strategy #5: Streamline the first year student experience 

1.1- create a mentor program for incoming students in which new students are paired with students in their major to learn about courses, registration, and life on campus

1.2- create a more detailed example course schedule for all four years for incoming students to view to give them more information about courses they need for their major. 

1.3- offer exploratory classes that count towards engineering electives, with rotating professors

1.4- Have big introductory lecture classes (such as calculus and physics) host guest speakers on different industries/majors

1.5- Host a "major fair" where incoming students can speak to other students and faculty about different majors and classes

Strategy #6: Make the IQP Projects have more of an impact 

2.1- Have classes during ID 2050 that focus on entrepreneurship 

2.2- Have each IQP advisor encourage entrepreneurship

2.3- Allow IQP research to transition into MQP research

Strategy #7: Make the MQP Projects last past graduation and be explored more in depth 

3.1- Have an advisory board of experts in the field review each project and point students in the right direction and show students resources 

3.2- Have a review board at the end of the project to identify key projects that have potential

3.3- Get more students working with businesses. Connect with the Center for Career Development about incorporating business connections into MQP

3.4- Allow campus clubs, faculty, and students the opportunity to carry on research

Strategy #8: Create an art studio space for artists to explore their passions

4.1- Integrate art into engineering by creating projects focused on aesthetically pleasing engineering works and data science focused projects that study consumer needs

4.2- Create an art study space in Foisie Innovation Studios

4.3- Host sketching classes focused on engineering art

Strategy #9: Create more resources for students and graduates to explore entrepreneurship and startups

5.1- Create a program for student-run businesses

5.2- Take away the "fear" of the world entrepreneurship and teach students what innovation really is

5.3- Host "internship-in-a-room" classes where students can connect with businesses and work on projects with them within a single class 

WPI Fall 2017 Priorities

Strategy #1 : Centralize I&E resources on campus and ensure optimal dissemination of information to stakeholders

1.1 - Create and update a database of I&E resources on campus, such as the Landscape Canvas Spreadsheet

1.2 - Design an efficient form of sharing I&E opportunities on the school's social media and communication channels

1.3 - Encourage staff, professors, and advisers to share resources with students

Strategy #2: Increase exposure to innovation and entrepreneurship by further integrating modules, courses into the daily lives of students

2.1 - Propose an ETR requirement for all majors

2.2 - Talk to professors about how they can better incorporate I&E into their courses

2.3 - Work with professors to allow former students to show how they have used the skills from the course in an innovative way

2.4 - Collect more data on the lifecycle of students who are required to take ETR courses

2.5 - Create more opportunities on campus for students to be innovative in all majors (like Hackathons are to Computer Science)

2.6 - KEEN Initiate helps create course modules that promote the entrepreneurial mindset in line with existing curriculum; depending on the course

Strategy #3: Motivate Students to Engage in Entrepreneurship Courses

3.1 - Educate students about existing entrepreneurship courses on campus and inform them of the benefits of taking them.

3.2 - Encourage students to take entrepreneurship courses by showing them how to integrate the courses into their schedules.

3.3 - Measure student satisfaction and outcomes from entrepreneurship courses to verify student learning and engagement, improve the courses, and use the data to show more students the benefits of taking the courses.

Strategy #4: Educate Students about the Entrepreneurial Spaces available on campus (Usefulness, Benefit etc):

4.1 - Create an awareness of the spaces on campus available for the purpose of innovative thinking.

4.2 -Employ professors whose job is to man these spaces and serve as an entrepreneurial advisor to students.

4.3 - Maintain a record of usage for the innovative spaces and students withhigh usage should be given a small reward for encouragement.

4.4 - Encourage and involve professors to use these spaces when working on unique projects.

4.5 - Conduct seasonal surveys to gain feedback about changes that need to be made and things that could be improved upon.

Strategy #5: Make Intellectual Property & Innovation Office resources and procedures more accessible to students

4.1 - Make a catalogue/presentation/video of WPI patent success stories

4.2 -Advertise catalogue/presentation/video in WPI classes at least in those within the School of Business. Advertise as well at relevant events that take place on campus.

4.3 - Have a clear process for obtaining a patent and make sure students know about it.

4.4 -Create an actual application for Tech Advisors Network

WPI UIF Final Project Storytelling:

https://aaalnajjar.wixsite.com/finalchangeproject

WPI Pitch Competition

1. 6-8 tangible milestones
   1. Add underclassmen to the team of “Flight Crew” to ensure the longevity of the organization and continued involvement in efforts to improve the university
   2. Establish a community of at least 500 students before the Foisie Innovation Studio is finished
   3. Develop a number of self-sustaining teams
   4. Establish a consistent schedule of meetings with the general body and community
   5. Create an online interface for students to promote, develop, and finalize projects and ideas (such as the project community Partner)
   6. Give students the chance to learn how to integrate Scrum Agile Business Practices into WPI curriculum and projects
   7. Tap into the WPI MQP system by taking incompleted or projects in an early stage of development and supplying the teams.
2. Tangible Milestones
   1. Garner interest within the faculty to find a faculty sponsor.
   2. Use new faculty resources to organize test event with the student activities office.
   3. Find local on campus sponsors to get prizes to offer students in the first event to excite them and increase participation
   4. During the first event have a successful WPI alumni (in the business field) talk about successful pitches, and what they are composed of
   5. After initial trial, seek out larger more well known corporate sponsors to give prizes and help run event, also increasing student interest.
   6. Hold full scale event, with marketing from WPI to get the word out to students
   7. Look for full scale support and sponsorship from the school of business in order to ensure longevity and continuation in the future.

3. Centralized Promotion of Campus Innovation Using Video

   1. Tangible Milestones
      1. Create a low cost prototype of the site
      2. Identify first groups and events to spotlight
      3. Produce first videos and share through different channels
      4. Gauge campus response to video format
      5. Use feedback to perfect the style of the videos
      6. Utilize the platform to spread the word on events and other opportunities on campus

4. Creation of user friendly website for access to information about entrepreneurial resources on campus

   1. Tangible Milestones
      1. Continue Cataloging all entrepreneurship as started in the UIF Program (April 2016)
      2. Obtain WPI Institutional Review board permission to use a survey to gather information (April 2016)
      3. Create and design a survey to find out what students/faculty want to see implemented in the website.  (May 2016)
      4. Analyze the data from the survey and brainstorm ideas for the layout of the website as well as information that will be shown. (May 2016 - June 2016)
      5. Speak to professors/staff with expertise in web design to begin to develop a schematic for the creation of the website. (June 2016 - July 2016)
      6. Work with the Computer Science Department to use seniors to help build the website and count their progress towards their senior year project. (August 2016)
      7. Beta test and debug the website using a small student population (March 2017)
      8. Launch the website and have a launch party :) . (May 2017)

5. Professor Evaluation database to assess active learning techniques utilized in the classroom.

   1. Tangible Milestones
      1. Obtain WPI Institutional Review board permission to use a survey to gather information(April 2016)
      2. Design a survey to assess the levels of active learning used by professors in their respective classes. (May 2016)
      3. Analyze the data and identify key areas that could use improvement. (June 2016-August 2016)
      4. Form a student led group to lobby for the use of active learning techniques in the classroom (September 2016 - November 2016)
      5. Meet with the head of each department to discuss the findings and create a contingency plan to implement changes in the curriculum. (December 2016- January 2017)
      6. Design an action plan to get other professors involved with the committee and provide them with the resources they need to learn more about active learning. (May 2017)
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   Related Links

   Worcester Polytechnic Institute

   Worcester Polytechnic Institute

   University Innovation Fellows

   Spring 2019:

   Dennis Leary

   Sydney Messey

   Anika Stundner