Educational Bridge Building 201:
Service Learning and
Interdisciplinary Initiatives
T. Michael Toole, Ph.D., P.E.
Assoc. Prof., Civil & Env. Engineering
Bucknell University
Introduction
• Q: How can we make our students’ learning
– Deep?
– Lasting?
– Relevant?
• A: Build bridges!
4 Educational Bridge Principles
• Build it high and on a firm foundation
• Make students part of the construction
crew
• Use composite materials
• Connect real things
Build it High and on a
Firm Foundation
• Set bar high: Don’t give
floodwaters a chance
• Build a solid foundation for
stability and scour resistance
Make Students Part of the
Construction Crew
• Learning starts before
class
• Rich, challenging,
gratifying classroom
community
• Service learning does
this wonderfully
Use Composite Materials
• Most interesting topics are complex
• Most interesting problems require
multiple skill sets and perspectives
• Everything has strengths and
weaknesses
Multi- and Interdisciplinary
Approaches
• Bring in a teaching partner
• Use your limitations to raise intellectual
curiosity
• Assemble multi-disciplinary teams to
tackle complex problems
Example: ILTM
• Institute for Leadership in Technology and
Management (www.bucknell.edu.iltm)
• 6-week intensive summer program provided
jointly by both colleges
• Engineers, Management and Liberal Arts
Students, Faculty and Industry Leaders
• Classroom, site visits, projects
Connect Real Things
• Theory can be beautiful and
• Knowledge can be for knowledge’s sake but….
• No lecture or course should be an island or a
bridge to nowhere and
• Reality reaches out and grabs you!
Bridges to the Real World
• ILTM teams tackle real clients’ real
problems
– Managing food marketer supply chains in
China and India
– Adoption of single port access surgical
technique
– Adoption of PDAs for field service
inspections
– Online systems for transferring financial
assets upon death of owner
Service Learning Rocks!
• SL = course-enhancing service + reflection +
reciprocity
• Solving real community problems
• Promotes civic engagement
• Experiential learning is deep and lasting
• Taps into Millennials’ wants
Service Learning
Engineering Senior Design Projects
•
•
•
•
•
•
Health clinic incinerator in Nicaragua
Local volunteer fire house
Eco-Tourism Village in Mexico
Water line in Nicaragua
Landfill in Nicaragua
Water line in Suriname (current project)
El Porvenir
Waterline Project
• Affiliated with Bucknell
Brigade
• 4 MechE SDT designed
pump system
• 1 CivE student designed
pipeline
Projects for Peace Funding
• Students and staff
constructed pump house
using P4P funds in 2007
Project Finally Finished May 2009
(Thanks for the help, Office of Service
Learning!)
Closing
• Four principles from bridges
– High designs
– Everybody builds
– Multiple materials/methods
– Make it real
• Two proud examples
– ILTM
– Engineering Senior Design Projects
• Looking forward to hearing about your bridges!