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Open and Strong Engineering Education - Coggle Diagram
Open and Strong Engineering Education
**Problem: High Cost Blocks Students
Tuition and fees up more than half since two thousand six
Books and lab kits cost about twelve hundred dollars each year
Many first generation and low income students quit early
Plan 1: Use Free Peer-Reviewed OER
OpenStax and similar books save students 170 million dollars
Every book is checked by PhD experts before release
Books are updated every three years and teachers can edit them
How to start
Pick one core course and swap in an OER book
Map each chapter to the matching ABET outcome
Plan 2: Put Research Projects Inside Regular Classes
First year classes add small group research
Study from Wright and Rivera shows twelve percent better retention
Students write stronger lab reports and feel like real engineers
How to start
Use current lab fee money no extra cost
Share project ideas in a shared online folder
Plan 3: Join a Quality Sharing Group
Seven European schools share rubrics and visit each other once a year
After two years design scores grew nine percent
Sharing spreads work and keeps standards high without big bills
How to start
Join CDIO or build a local group with nearby colleges
Post course goals and test data on a public page
Common Doubts and Their Answers
Employers may not trust free books
Show ABET map and employer survey that says skills matter most
Teachers worry about extra work
Small cash grants and shared rubrics cut the load
Content may get old
Open license lets teachers fix errors fast
Impact to Watch
Cost drop
Book cost per credit falls eighty percent
Learning rise
Pass rates jump six to twelve points
Equity gain
Gap in retention between groups drops five points
Next Steps
Pilot one OER course next term
Add one small research task to that course
Share results and invite two schools to review
Future Look
Test low cost virtual labs for hands on work
Track board exam pass rates for OER groups