Implementation of an Experiential Learning Strategy Based on a Classroom/Industry Partnership

The classroom/industry connection is an often-underutilized tool, which could prove to be invaluable in an educational setting.The experience of working with an outside company in order to complete a class project not only emphasizes the importance of organization and teamwork, it also enhances the students' education through experiential learning by illustrating the processes that companies often employ.A Product Design class in the Mechanical Engineering Technology major at Rochester Institute of Technology utilizes this educational practice to supply students with real-world experience.Through this experimental process, multiple benefits are discovered, along with several pitfalls, which will serve to educate students who may encounter similar experiences as they progress through their engineering education.This report addresses these benefits and pitfalls as well as proposes methods with which to combat such problems encountered throughout the process.