Romeo L. Moruzzi Young Faculty Award for Innovation in Undergraduate Education

Professor Pinciroli has found a way to strike a balance between rigorously teaching content and fostering an engaging learning environment in RBE 3002, by successfully introducing elements of gamification in his classes.  As Carlo explains: I structure each class as a sequence of small units of increasing complexity. These units, together, form a “quest” — a challenge with a significant goal. Each unit has sub-goals, which act as “monsters” to slay. A small set of tools are offered as possible “weapons”. I then challenge the students to solve the problem at hand

Professor Stoddard’s work builds on existing research in team dynamics in important ways. The tools she developed include a process for developing team agreements regarding goals, communication, division of work, and strategies to address problems. At the heart of the process is an asset or strengths-based approach to teaming, where students and teams identify their individual and collective assets. The skills for each aspect of the project are then identified and matched to team members’ assets. Together this approach helps reduce the bias and stereotyping which can interfere with team performance.

Traditional controls courses use an unrelenting “theory-first” approach, producing steep learning barriers for students. Professor Cowlagi significantly improved senior-level courses in Aerospace Engineering by providing strong real-world connections to theoretical subject matter. His most noteworthy innovation is the introduction of personalized experiments that students can conduct at home using smartphones or Arduino kits, collecting and analyzing data that are personally relevant. Because of these approaches, his students have successfully learned advanced concepts, such as Kalman filtering, that are typically reserved for graduate study.
 

Professor Whittington’s work to integrate inclusive teaching practices in the biomedical engineering curriculum uses intentional and creative ways to engage students in considering
critical social justice issues relevant to medicine and biomedical engineering. While co-teaching BME 1001, she integrated bioethics and bias in healthcare throughout the
course rather than in a single unit. She enhanced course content with more focused materials, discussions, examples, and assessments. By bringing healthcare and social
justice to the forefront in introductory biomedical engineering, she broadens students’ learning and prepares them to be innovators and changemakers.

Professor Ahmet Can Sabuncu's role in the collaborative design of a project-based engineering experimentation course and his study of its educational efficacy, emphasizes accessibility
and skills for the future of work by turning away from high-end equipment in favor of low-cost experimental materials that are widely available to any student in any location. Through skillfully sequenced modules with a gradual increase in cognitive complexity, students learn the necessities of careful measurements and analyses as they utilize sensors for temperature, strain, pressure, vibrations, and motor-control.

In the era of COVID-19, without physically being present, it is challenging to convey the gravity, complexity, and intertwined nature of each valve, fitting, or probe needed in Chemical Engineering labs. Andrew Teixeira rose to the challenge and, with the support of his colleagues, designed and delivered an experience for students that not only accommodated WPI’s TechFlex model, but also generated a teaching and learning model for the future. With the introduction of pan-tilt-zoom cameras, augmented reality glasses, and a software interface, remote students, local students, and faculty were synchronously brought together in real time. The AR glasses worn by students in the lab broadcast what the wearer saw to the online partner. With PTZ cameras, remote students could pan around the lab and see what their colleagues were doing. At the same time, everyone could work on virtually located spreadsheets, diagrams, and calculations.