Integrating Out-of-Classroom Experiential Learning into the Biomedical Engineering Curriculum Through Elective Courses

Challenge Biomedical engineering is a diverse major which not only offers students opportunities to study various specialties, but also affords them multiple career options post-graduation. Coursework, while necessary to provide a uniform and strong academic foundation, can only cover so much material, therefore, offering real-world opportunities known as “experiential learning (EL)” that take place outside of the classroom can provide additional training and skill development. However, building this into the curriculum in a manner that not only keeps up with the rapidly developing field, but can also offer the wide range of experiences sought by BME students is a challenge in an already packed curriculum. Novel Initiative We have built EL opportunities into our curriculum, allowing experiences to partially count toward an elective requirement. A pre-approval process ensures rigor and appropriateness of each experience and allows students to get credit for internships, co-ops, and research (both honors and exploratory) in a variety of BME subspecialties. Reflection Based on registration data for the past 5 years, almost 60% of our students pursued EL for credit, and according to a survey administered by university career services, attribute this experience as a primary contributor to their post-graduation plans. Most students in the honors research program successfully went on to doctoral, medical, or MD/PhD programs. Further controlled studies need to be conducted to show how internships and co-ops have impacted post-graduation plans. However, we have created an environment which supports the pursuit of EL, offering alternative learning opportunities and accommodating the diverse interests BME students have, without adding additional costs or delaying graduation, making this program accessible for all students.