Jackson State University is exploring a new model for education. The College of Science, Engineering and Technology is hosting the CSET Spring 2016 Thought Leaders in STEM Learning Colloquium Series to analyze ways to reinvent students learning in the 21st century. The lead speaker for the series will be Dr. Stephen Lu of University of Southern California, Viterbi School of Engineering. It will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 10, in the Engineering Building, Room 100.
Lu is a world-renowned researcher, teacher and an education entrepreneur who will present “iPodia: Classrooms Without Borders.” The Viterbi iPodia Program at USC enables global student participation in interconnected classrooms across physical, institutional and cultural boundaries. This approach to innovative learning globalization has pushed the century-old education enterprise.
“Unlike distance education that uses technologies to enlarge the delivery distance of courseware, iPodia employs technologies to eliminate the interaction distance between students to realize “no-distance” learning,” Lu said.
CSET will host speakers this spring to investigate the pioneering pedagogy of multi-discipline, diverse and creative methods throughout the nation.
“The university of today needs to prepare our students to engage in thinking in a diverse, multicultural ambience. But this is not just true for engineering but across all disciplines. What iPodia brings to the reinvented university are true value-added opportunities,” said Dr. Richard A. Aló, dean of JSU’s CSET.
More courses are available digitally, and some are free. Does the revolutionary accessibility to education courses threaten the value proposition of brick-and-mortar universities as a viable player “in the future?
Engineering is about design and problem-solving,”Alo said. “Exposure to the iPodia program will advance our engineering education way beyond content learning into the enhanced learning environments achieved through value added from context, diversity and globalization integrations.”
Dr. Kamal Ali, chair of the Department of Industrial Systems and Technology, said, “JSU is excited to welcome Dr. Lu from Viterbi as we are at the helm of reinventing the way our students learn and the way we instruct them. We will continue to learn how to ensure that campus learning is sustainable.”
iPodia Alliance includes 12 global universities on four continents, giving more than 400,000 students the opportunity to learn together around the clock and throughout the season. iPodia, where “i” stands for inverted, interactive and inclusive learning, is built upon three pillars: (1) technology “platform” that makes it feasible; (2) education “program” that makes it operational; and, most importantly, (3) inclusive “pedagogy” that makes it unique and exciting.
Lu founded iPodia in 2009. He holds a permanent endowed chair professorship at USC and serves in executive/advisory roles at multiple international organizations. He founded the IMPACT Research Laboratory and directs Product Development Engineering.
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STEM Learning Colloquium Series:
Lu is a world-renowned researcher, teacher and an education entrepreneur who will present “iPodia: Classrooms Without Borders.” The Viterbi iPodia Program at USC enables global student participation in interconnected classrooms across physical, institutional and cultural boundaries. This approach to innovative learning globalization has pushed the century-old education enterprise.