Imagine attending a community college that teaches the classes of the same engineering curriculum as an accredited university. Students in the Collin County Community College District will not have to imagine it. They are the first community college students to experience SMU’s Infinity curriculum.
Ann Beheler, dean of engineering technology at Collin County Community College said, “We are excited to be the first community college to adopt SMU’s Infinity curriculum.”
SMU’s School of Engineering partnered with Texas Instruments to create an innovative curriculum that will introduce students to engineering. A team of researchers and educators designed the project. The team consisted of five past presidents of major technical societies, two current presidents of universities, two former presidents of universities, one of the Department of Defense’s leaders in technology, science and engineering and two engineering department chairs.
The goal of the Infinity Project is to spark an interest in students to pursue a career in engineering. In order to achieve this goal, students are taught to apply engineering, science and math to the real world.
“Through this program, students get to experience the thrill of engineering invention prior to really knowing the detailed math behind it,” Beheler said. “Once they’ve experienced the delight of creation, they’re more likely to be dedicated to learning the math that makes the invention work.”
A major portion of the curriculum includes hands-on experiments. These experiments are included as a part of the course materials, in an Infinity Technology Kit that is available for schools and colleges. The kit converts standard PCs into modern engineering design platforms.
First-year students at 14 Texas engineering schools are learning the Infinity curriculum. The project is also taught in almost 60 high schools in 14 states.
“We are looking forward to working with additional community colleges throughout Texas and the nation to offer the Infinity Project,” executive director of the Infinity Project Geoffrey Orsak said.
SMU’s School of Engineering prides itself on being the Dallas area’s premier institute of higher learning for students seeking degrees in engineering and technical disciplines.
Kejuanna Wright, a mechanical engineering senior, said what she appreciates most about the SMU School of Engineering is “the availability of the professors and their willingness to help you.”
Currently, there are more than 600 undergraduates and 1,000 graduate students enrolled in the program. The student to faculty ratio is 11:1.
