(588a) The Hi-Pele: A Da Vinci Foundry

The Hi-PeLE^TM Learning and Thinking System is very efficient to develop the new (STEM) professional as outlined in the National Academic of Engineering 2020 Model. The platform incorporates numerous well established (pedagogically) methodologies  including team-based learning, collaborative approaches and critical thinking,  all strategically located in the “ Knowledge Acquisition” section of the approach where students learn new skills and knowledge  by using learning and documentation cycles. Once students has mastered an appropriate level, they have the opportunity to use such skills in the “Knowledge Transfer” section where they must identify a societal need, identify the “root cause” of such a need, propose an innovative solution, develop the proof of concept, and build and test a prototype. They never are told or given such a need but, instead, they are coached into a process to achieve it. Several pedagogical tools for innovation-driven learning are being calibrated and applied to help students in the quest for the development of the prototype for innovative technology. In this presentation, the co-authors will discuss a model for curriculum implementation of the Hi-PeLE^TM,  give examples of courses to illustrate the success of the students’ achieving of a high level of Da Vinci-style behaviors and make observations for the implementation in potentially other colleges or K-12 environments.