Academics
Olin College offers degrees in Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), Mechanical Engineering (ME), and Engineering (E). Within the Engineering program, students may concentrate in Computing (E:C), Bioengineering (E:BE), Materials Science (E:MS), Systems Design (E:SYS), or they may design their own concentrations with the administration's approval. Students also have access to an accelerated MS in Technological Entrepreneurship program at Babson College, with the potential to obtain this degree one semester after graduating from Olin College.
Classes at Olin College emphasize the importance of context and attempt to take an interdisciplinary approach. Freshmen take integrated course blocks that teach engineering, calculus, and physics by exploring the relationships between the three subjects. Arts, humanities, and social sciences courses take an interdisciplinary approach to subjects such as the "self" ("What is I?"), history ("History of Technology"), and art ("Wired Ensemble" and "Seeing and Hearing").
Olin College maintains a strong emphasis on practically grounded education, teaching not only the concepts but also connecting them to real-world challenges and projects. Beginning during their first year, students receive training in Olin's machine shop for project-based work. First-year students are required to take "Design Nature," a class that teaches design tools and processes. In this class, students design and build mechanical toys based on biological systems (such as the click beetle's jumping mechanism). Projects often take a "do-learn" approach, with the application of concepts being taught before the formal introduction of the underlying theory.
Olin's Curriculum expires every five years, and must undergo an internal curriculum review. The goal of these reviews is to ensure that the college maintains a culture of change and continuous improvement, and constantly working to reinvent itself. The first of these reviews was completed during the fall 2007 semester. It is not yet clear to what extent the curriculum review will result in changes, but significant aspects of the curriculum are being considered for detailed review. Notably projects, student assessment, AHS/E! course offerings, experimentation within Olin, student workload are being targeted specifically for detailed review. These areas of detailed review were selected after significant student and faculty feedback was solicited from the Olin community.
Olin College's academic culture is heavily influenced by the school's honor code. Students often take exams on their own time and are generally allowed to use outside resources on exams, provided that they cite which sources they used. Students are trusted to adhere to the rules and limits specified for each exam without the supervision of a proctor. Because of this, honor code violations in an academic context are treated far more seriously and formally than social violations.
In general, the academic culture at Olin College is highly informal. Unlike most colleges and universities, some members of the upper administration teach classes alongside other faculty members. Teachers and administrators at Olin College are generally very receptive to student suggestions and feedback. This is viewed as especially important because Olin College is a new school, and its students play an active role in shaping the college for future generations.
Read more about this topic: Franklin W. Olin College Of Engineering
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