Using innovation as a catalyst for integrating business and engineering education

摘要

This paper describes a theoretical foundation and a successfully implemented curriculum that satisfies traditional disciplinary requirements, as well as interdisciplinary and innovation focused learning experiences via a thematic approach. Our work contributes an example of successful integration of business and engineering curriculum using foundational themes transcending disciplinary boundaries. The themes that connect the topics are model thinking augmented by data science and design thinking augmented by agile development and lean business and product development processes. Our approach leverages these themes to develop innovators using the disciplines of computer science, software engineering, and management. We offer as an example a successful implementation of this approach, the Jeffrey S. Raikes School, at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln.