As shown in the Miami University list of Ten new things Miami University students will see in the 2024-2025 academic yearThe College of Engineering and Computing welcomes its new class with a brand new Experimental laboratory for first-year students. The 360-square-meter laboratory facility, completed in the summer, is intended to provide first-year students with space for collaboration, communication and community building at the start of their academic careers in engineering and computer science.
Formerly the office of the Dean of the School of Engineering and Computer Science, it has now moved to the second floor of Benton Hall – visitors are welcome, stop by anytime – the First Year Experience Lab underwent a $1.1 million remodel over the summer, turning it into a space with two classrooms connected by an interior lobby. While the central interior lobby area is designed for socializing and conversation, the classroom labs on either side are intentionally designed for First-semester courses CEC 111 and CEC 112.
CEC’s new First-Year Experience Lab features a central interior lobby with windows to the two new teaching labs on either side.
In CEC 111 and 112, first-year students from all majors in the College of Engineering and Computing participate in hands-on, interdisciplinary design projects that address societal and environmental challenges. Working together in teams, these first-year students build community, develop innovative solutions, and develop communication skills. The new First-Year Experience Lab is intentionally designed to foster these skills in an inclusive and welcoming space.
Materials for the CEC 111 and 112 projects will be available on the first day of class. CEC 111 and 112 are required courses for all first-year CEC students and provide project-based problem-solving experiences worked on in teams.
The CEC First-Year Experience is divided into two courses, CEC 111 and CEC 112. These two courses are taken separately during the first two semesters of each first-year student’s academic career at CEC.
Key components of CEC 111 and CEC 112
- Helps students transition to college by providing them with critical information, resources and skills needed for success.
- Covers topics such as information literacy, academic integrity, personal responsibility, and professional development.
- Identifies key campus resources to improve academic success.
- Students work in teams to apply principles of design thinking and computer science to solve open problems related to socio-ecological issues.
- Students acquire computer science and engineering knowledge and develop their communication skills.
Fall 2024 classes begin at Miami University on Monday, August 26.
Photos by Scott Kissell, University Communications and Marketing
