Abstract:

Worcester Polytechnic Institute is committed to the education and training of scientists for the needs of the 21st century by connecting science content to issues of critical local, national, and global importance. Recent survey done by Kettering University of industry employers shows that a large gap exists between what employers consider the “most essential competencies” for workforce readiness and graduates’ proficiency. For example, students were competent in some key scientific and technological areas and were strong at continued learning; however, they lacked key skills, knowledge, and mindset to be successful in innovation with impact. To close the gap, we redesigned the physics curriculum to integrate Value Creation Framework (VCF) as a tool that empowers each student to connect physics topics to real-world societal problems and to innovate with impact. The integration of VCF as a tool in teaching Physics courses proved to be impactful not only in the upper-level courses, but also in the large introductory physics courses. This is particularly important, as it shows that undergraduate students can learn to innovate with impact from day one in college. Therefore, students better understand the critical needs of society, they are more motivated to learn and innovate, and they are overall more ready to successfully contribute to global partnerships.

Keywords:

Education, Physics, Innovation, Value Creation.