Classes
Introduction
Sponsoring Interdisciplinary Solution Development (IXD) or Tech-in-Residence (TIR) classes offers your corporation a unique opportunity to collaborate with a cross-disciplinary team of faculty, staff, and students. Our classes are experiential, where students learn through direct experience rather than traditional classroom lectures alone. This method emphasizes active participation, allowing learners to apply theoretical knowledge to real-world solutions, solve problems, and reflect on their outcomes.
Interdisciplinary Solution Development
IXD offers a unique platform for collaborative, hands-on problem-solving, bringing together students from various disciplines to tackle real-world challenges. For either a single semester or a full academic year, corporations across diverse industries partner with the Innovation Center, presenting a specific problem statement for the class to address. The class is taught by faculty, and interdisciplinary student teams dive deeply into the challenge to develop innovative solutions.
Students deliver strategic recommendations and innovative solutions that directly address the challenge presented by corporate partners. These outcomes are not only practical but also rooted in comprehensive, data-driven research and creative problem-solving. At the conclusion of the class, all teams present their findings and proposed solutions, offering fresh perspectives and approaches.
Tech-in-Residence
Tech-in-Residence originated from Break Through Tech Chicago (BTTC) and is a partnership with the Innovation Center, the College of Engineering, and a corporation. Under the guidance of an engineering professor, students collaborate on hands-on challenge projects based on a problem statement provided by the corporate partner.
TIR provides partner companies with a unique opportunity to engage with emerging technology talent. Corporations work closely with students to address real-world challenges, allowing them to showcase their business expertise while gaining fresh insights from future tech professionals.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there costs associated with sponsoring a class?
Yes. Our fee covers the overhead costs of the project team. This can include faculty, staff, alumni, and current students depending on project needs.
What commitment is required from our company?
Sponsors commit to attending the class kickoff at the beginning of the semester and the two presentations that occur each semester. Questions, feedback, and active encouragement are strongly encouraged to assist in the development of final deliverables and ensure the teams complete their projects to the client’s satisfaction.
How involved can we be in the class?
Your level of involvement depends on your preferences and availability; however, sponsors are encouraged to be actively involved in the class. Besides attending the class kickoff, midterm, and final presentations, this can include attending class, holding progress meetings, and providing feedback.
What type of students are in the class?
We welcome students from all disciplines into our classes. Depending on the project, students can come from business, engineering, design, public health, medicine, and anthropology, among others. We ensure that a specific discipline is included, depending on need.
What support is provided by the Innovation Center?
The IC has a 20-year history of running multidisciplinary innovation classes with corporate partners. We help define the problem, select the faculty, handle all administrative details, including contract management, and connect faculty and students with research participants.
How does the Innovation Center handle privacy, intellectual property, and disclosures?
All confidentiality and intellectual property rights are mutually agreed upon by both entities in a master agreement. Students sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) before the class starts. While students often wish to share their class experience and development process with prospective employers, by signing an agreement, they do not disclose project outcomes or solutions without the explicit permission of the partner.