Expected Learning Outcomes
Expected Learning Outcomes for EmPOWERment Trainees
EmPOWERment trainees develop graduate-level interdisciplinary-research skills and learn to undertake transformative projects that solve sustainable energy challenges by leveraging the proliferation of ubiquitous sensing and control technologies to advance energy-technology innovation. The program is designed for students to have distinctive experiences and to prepare them to thrive in a variety of career pathways through experiential learning, coaching, and communication-oriented collaborative activities.
The three learning goals are to expand students' innovation capacity, self-efficacy, and collaboration. They correspond to ten desired learning outcomes that reflect a pressing need across all segments for data analytic and computational skills, as well as a more holistic understanding of economics, business, law, and related disciplines; strong communication skills; and the ability to innovate, be adaptive, and design forward-thinking solutions.
Goal 1: Innovation Capacity
Expanding students’ innovation capacity in the sustainable energy systems domain through experiential learning encounters
Graduates will:
1. Understand theories and principles of economics, business, finance, policy, and law as each relates to sustainable, distributed, and digitized energy systems
2. Develop the language needed to articulate and communicate their selected disciplinary perspective as it relates to sustainable energy
3. Acquire the software-related, data analytic, and computation skills necessary to collect, clean, select, and analyze data to address sustainable-energy problems
4. Integrate information across topics and tasks related to sustainable energy
5. Design forward-thinking sustainable energy solutions
6. Innovate and adapt to find solutions to difficult and ever-changing challenges of sustainable energy
Goal 2: Self-Efficacy
Develop identity and self-efficacy with layers of informal mentoring and formal coaching surrounding the student cohort
Graduates will:
7. Develop the confidence to ask critical questions and raise critical issues about sustainable energy systems and processes
8. Develop interest in solving sustainable energy problems
Goal 3: Collaboration
Shape a culture of creative and inclusive collaboration among students, faculty, and practitioners through teamwork with diverse and broad groups of people and by prioritizing clear communication at every touchpoint with students