1. Using ABET capstone major design experience (MDE) credit for VIP: (a) student project activity needs to be primarily degree specific that builds on past courses and (b) faculty from the degree program need to have some level of oversight of student outcomes and be able to provide mentoring. There are potentially ways to fit this in to a VIP program, but requires cooperation from the engineering degree programs (departments) and hopefully the college administration. A faculty from each degree program whose teaching assignment is to serve as the mentor and overseer is one path to address this concern.
2. VIP credit is treated as equivalent to an independent study course that is limited at the upper level. The rest is treated as free electives.  Finding ways to deepen the experiential learning knowledge gain as well as developing system level thinking demonstrates the benefits of VIP projects.

1. Using ABET capstone major design experience (MDE) credit for VIP: (a) student project activity needs to be primarily degree specific that builds on past courses and (b) faculty from the degree program need to have some level of oversight of student outcomes and be able to provide mentoring. There are potentially ways to fit this in to a VIP program, but requires cooperation from the engineering degree programs (departments) and hopefully the college administration. A faculty from each degree program whose teaching assignment is to serve as the mentor and overseer is one path to address this concern.
2. VIP credit is treated as equivalent to an independent study course that is limited at the upper level. The rest is treated as free electives.  Finding ways to deepen the experiential learning knowledge gain as well as developing system level thinking demonstrates the benefits of VIP projects.

• The NYU Director of VIP, Peter Voltz, is the Dean of Undergraduate and Graduate Academics and has promoted VIP in department heads meetings• During a faculty luncheon the VIP program was presented and promoted to encourage the acceptance of VIP for credit

• Individual meetings with undergraduate advisors in each department to promote VIP

• The NYU Director of VIP, Peter Voltz, is the Dean of Undergraduate and Graduate Academics and has promoted VIP in department heads meetings• During a faculty luncheon the VIP program was presented and promoted to encourage the acceptance of VIP for credit

• Individual meetings with undergraduate advisors in each department to promote VIP

1. Meet with faculty, chairs and deans to discuss the merits of the VIP model.
2. Provide chairs and deans evidence of VIP students in their departments and colleges and the benefit they have derived by the VIP program.  In particular, arrange meeting with VIP students who can provide their impressions of the program.
3. Organize VIP symposia where VIP students make oral presentation of their research.  Advertise the symposia widely and invite key decision making administrative individuals, faculty, chairs, and deans.
4. Invite outside groups such as industries and community colleges.
5. Engage other university organizations such as the honors program, undergraduate research center (URC), and minority recruitment programs (CAMPS, MURPPS, BUSP, CAMP, and MURALS) to recruit students and engage a wide section of undergraduates in the VIP program.

1. Meet with faculty, chairs and deans to discuss the merits of the VIP model.
2. Provide chairs and deans evidence of VIP students in their departments and colleges and the benefit they have derived by the VIP program.  In particular, arrange meeting with VIP students who can provide their impressions of the program.
3. Organize VIP symposia where VIP students make oral presentation of their research.  Advertise the symposia widely and invite key decision making administrative individuals, faculty, chairs, and deans.
4. Invite outside groups such as industries and community colleges.
5. Engage other university organizations such as the honors program, undergraduate research center (URC), and minority recruitment programs (CAMPS, MURPPS, BUSP, CAMP, and MURALS) to recruit students and engage a wide section of undergraduates in the VIP program.

• For each department we are working with, we started by contacting the undergraduate coordinator / director (usually a faculty member) and/or lead advisor (usually a staff member). This person offered a practical, low stakes assessment of whether VIP was a good fit for their students and how it might fit into their degree plans.
• Based on feedback from the first conversation, we then reached out to the department head or chair to explain the idea and gather additional advice about fit with the faculty, students, and program, and ultimately permission to present the idea during a faculty meeting.
• With the head’s/chair’s invitation, we presented the idea at a faculty meeting, explaining the benefits and discussing the logistics of how VIP could/would work for them (faculty and students).
• For interdisciplinary work, we had to determine whether the work would require sufficiently high level thinking to warrant 4000-level credit in each discipline.
• The Experiential Learning designation is helping broaden the appeal of VIP and ease the approval because many programs don’t feel like they have enough opportunities for students to meet this requirement in a way that relates to their discipline. The leadership of our EL initiative is also a good advocate.

• For each department we are working with, we started by contacting the undergraduate coordinator / director (usually a faculty member) and/or lead advisor (usually a staff member). This person offered a practical, low stakes assessment of whether VIP was a good fit for their students and how it might fit into their degree plans.
• Based on feedback from the first conversation, we then reached out to the department head or chair to explain the idea and gather additional advice about fit with the faculty, students, and program, and ultimately permission to present the idea during a faculty meeting.
• With the head’s/chair’s invitation, we presented the idea at a faculty meeting, explaining the benefits and discussing the logistics of how VIP could/would work for them (faculty and students).
• For interdisciplinary work, we had to determine whether the work would require sufficiently high level thinking to warrant 4000-level credit in each discipline.
• The Experiential Learning designation is helping broaden the appeal of VIP and ease the approval because many programs don’t feel like they have enough opportunities for students to meet this requirement in a way that relates to their discipline. The leadership of our EL initiative is also a good advocate.

VIP credit is primarily provided through college-level, VIP-specific courses, ENGR 297 and ENGR 497; however, departmental independent study courses are used in some cases. As independent study courses are an existing part of the departmental curricula, our efforts to integrate VIP into departmental curricula are focused on the integration of ENGR 297/497.ENGR 297 and ENGR 497 are variable credit (1 or 2 credits), and students typically register for 1 credit per quarter. Our goal is to allow students to participate in VIP for 4 years, which requires 12 available credits at 1 credit per quarter.

Our strategy for creating a pool of up to 12 credits for VIP within departmental curricula involves incorporating VIP courses into the experiential learning portions of curricula and then expanding the number of experiential learning credits. First, we work with faculty and departments to help them understand how VIP is similar to other experiential learning portions of the curricula, like internships, co-ops, and independent study. Then we incorporate the college-level VIP courses into the experiential learning portions of the curricula. For example, ENGR 297/497 could fulfill the same degree requirements as departmental independent study courses. Once the VIP courses are integrated into the curriculum, we then advocate for increasing the number of allowable experiential learning credits, not just the number of allowable VIP credits.

VIP credit is primarily provided through college-level, VIP-specific courses, ENGR 297 and ENGR 497; however, departmental independent study courses are used in some cases. As independent study courses are an existing part of the departmental curricula, our efforts to integrate VIP into departmental curricula are focused on the integration of ENGR 297/497.ENGR 297 and ENGR 497 are variable credit (1 or 2 credits), and students typically register for 1 credit per quarter. Our goal is to allow students to participate in VIP for 4 years, which requires 12 available credits at 1 credit per quarter.

Our strategy for creating a pool of up to 12 credits for VIP within departmental curricula involves incorporating VIP courses into the experiential learning portions of curricula and then expanding the number of experiential learning credits. First, we work with faculty and departments to help them understand how VIP is similar to other experiential learning portions of the curricula, like internships, co-ops, and independent study. Then we incorporate the college-level VIP courses into the experiential learning portions of the curricula. For example, ENGR 297/497 could fulfill the same degree requirements as departmental independent study courses. Once the VIP courses are integrated into the curriculum, we then advocate for increasing the number of allowable experiential learning credits, not just the number of allowable VIP credits.