“When you bring people in the living laboratory, you never know what you’re going to spark,” O’Connor says. “It could be a spring board for someone looking into one of the engineering disciplines, a controls engineer or an electrical engineer or a mechanical engineer. It’s certainly not the type of position a certificate is going to get you, but it could spark something in these kids where maybe they want to pursue a two year or four year degree.”
Two Tips for Integrating Your Own Real-World Pedagogy
Marry academia with real world work opportunities
O’Connor says colleges should evolve their curricula to feature both in-class and out of class experiences. He says doing so will prepare students for life post-graduation.
“You hope someone is thinking the way Olive-Harvey was, where they identified a need in the market place and came up with a way to educate prospective new hires,” O’Connor says. “Advice for a school that wants to do this is identify a need, figure out how you can identify that need, and then get the help of someone in the industry with the expertise to help you pull it off.”
Partner up with the pros
Howard says colleges looking to mirror Olive-Harvey College’s living lab model should consider building a relationship with companies that are in an applicable industry.
He says these relationships will bridge the gap between the academic side and the business side, and will give students a fuller picture of the industry.
“I would suggest colleges connect with industry partners to develop those strong relationships,” Howard says. “In order for students to be successful in the supply chain industry, they must be exposed to the various types of industries, the various types of equipment, technology, the individuals that work in the field…What better way to do that than collaborating with industries or companies that are in the field.”
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