In this APPLES Service-Learning Course, teams of aspiring software developers are bringing to life the software ideas of members of our UNC community and beyond. Some of us are working with UNC faculty members to create tools for research and learning. Our team’s client, Richard Goldberg, is a professor of Applied Physical Sciences. We are supporting his vision of a “Micromoment” application that can be used by educators to facilitate in-class discussions and activities.
This project is part of a larger effort by Engineering Unleashed, an engineering educational community focused on promoting an entrepreneurial mindset. The organization’s website includes a database of “cards,” which are downloadable online templates for faculty and staff to share lesson plans, activities, modules, projects, and more for use in classes. The Micromoment App will utilize this database to create a flashcard-like interface that instructors can use to select and implement short “micromoment” activities in the classroom.
The 30-minute or shorter activities provided by the Micromoment app are designed to promote an entrepreneurial mindset in students, which helps students to question, adapt, and make positive change by promoting curiosity, connections, and value creation. This is where the positive impact of our project begins: helping professors nurture more entrepreneurial students. Engineering is a diverse field of disciplines, but the underlying nature of the field is this: using the principles of science and mathematics to solve real world problems. From civil engineers building the public-use structures of the urban world to industrial engineers designing safer and more efficient industrial practices, engineers are responsible for meeting the population’s needs. Our app will support engineering faculty in cultivating the new generation of entrepreneurial engineers that can change the world.
Even though the people most immediately affected by our project are engineering faculty and students, the real impact of the Micromoment App has potential to be incredibly valuable. When Micromoment activities are used in the classroom, students develop more entrepreneurial mindsets. These entrepreneurial engineering students will soon be the leaders of the top engineering industries, bringing positive solutions and innovations to the world. This is the true importance of our work in the long-run.