Foundation Coalition Core Competencies
 

The Foundation Coalition (FC), one of eight engineering coalitions funded by the National Science Foundation, was established as an agent of systemic renewal for the engineering educational community. FC partner campuses have restructured their curricula, renovated or built new classrooms, and created faculty development projects guided by core competencies (listed below) that are informed by a number of theories that address learning and change. [1] Two of the theoretical frameworks used are social learning theory and constructivist learning theory. Our core competencies are the abilities which we must develop, continuously improve and use to realize the vision and mission of the Foundation Coalition.

Active and cooperative learning: increasing student participation in and ownership of their learning
Increasing the participation of women and underrepresented minorities in engineering: if the learning environment works for a more diverse student body, then it will be a better learning environment for all students
Student teams in engineering: helping students develop their abilities to work within and lead teams, which requires more than assigning students to group projects
Technology-enabled learning: creating learning environments in which routine access to ubiquitous technology is assumed and the revision of learning activities is based on this assumption
Continuous improvement through assessment, evaluation, and feedback: develop assessment processes to collect data on the impact of changes to the curricula and learning environments, reaching conclusions about the efficacy of those changes and making improvements where indicated
Curriculum integration and inclusive learning communities: helping students make connections between various disciplines and between academic topics and lifelong careers and helping them to build learning relationships with other students
Curricular change, resistance, and leadership: making significant curricular changes requires a complex, thoughtful change model that is based on research and experience

References for further information

  1. Froyd, Jeffrey, and Karen Frair, "Theoretical Foundations for the Foundation Coalition Core
    Competencies    ," Proceedings, 2000 ASEE National Conference, St. Louis, MO, 18–21 June 2000.
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