Enhancing bioengineering opportunities for engineering majors

In response to evolving expectations for its engineering graduates, Michigan State University is developing a plan to enhance undergraduate student learning in the field of bioengineering. Although this paper focuses on enhancing bioengineering opportunities for engineering majors, several lessons have been learned that might be applied as other institutions develop strategies to systemically reform their undergraduate engineering programs. For example, the following factors have been identified that impact the sustainability of curricular-change initiatives: the role of strategic planning within the academic unit and at the institutional level; the leadership role of department chairs/heads and college deans; the role of faculty planning, faculty assessment, faculty development and faculty autonomy; the system of values and rewards for individual faculty and for their academic units; and the role of constituent groups in establishing and evaluating educational program objectives and curricular outcomes.