Epic Challenges

Students in the 21st century require a combination of soft skills and STEM-based skills to ensure a successful transition into university and the emerging workforce. This course is designed with a project-based curriculum coupled with an enterprise education focus. The innovative nature of the curriculum involves student engagement in an ‘Epic Challenge’, an open-ended, real-world complex problem which does not have an existing or known solution and is multi-disciplinary by nature.

Students will participate in a connected learning environment and work in teams to design their solution for the specified challenge. Through this, students will develop their teamwork skills, knowledge capture skills (problem definition and problem immersion), creative concept generation (creativity tools, creative ideation, concept evaluation), rapid concept development (analysis, prototype, test, design/optimise), and, finally, concept evaluation and selection. Students will also develop STEM skills such as engineering design practices, mathematical literacy, technical expertise and empirical data analysis.

During this program, students will become familiar with space programs, providing them with opportunities to become part of the hub for future space industry development. The final product for this course requires students to present their work in a symposium which will include an audience of real-world engineers and space industry representatives, including NASA astronauts.

Project lead: Dr Rebeca Marrone