About the Living Lab Grant and History
“A Living Laboratory: Revitalizing General Education for a 21st Century College of Technology” was a five-year $3.1M initiative (2010-2015) funded by the U.S. Department of Education Strengthening Hispanic-Serving Institutions (Title V) program.  Our mission was to re-envision General Education as a “living laboratory” using City Tech’s signature strengths – hands-on experiential models of learning and our vibrant Brooklyn Waterfront location.
What did we do?
Four activities working together towards institutional transformation:
- The Gen Ed Seminar: brought together diverse groups of Faculty Fellows  to revitalize General Education through place-based learning and high-impact educational practices;
- The OpenLab: created a new digital platform to support open teaching and learning at City Tech, and enhance the intellectual and social fabric of the college community;
- A Culture of Assessment: integrated comprehensive outcomes assessment into the General Education curriculum;
- The Brooklyn Waterfront Research Center (BWRC): built an endowment to support student and faculty research at this newly-created City Tech institution.
CREDITS:
A Living Laboratory
Current General Education Seminar Co-Directors:
Anna Matthews
Jason Montgomery
Previous General Education Seminar Director:
Karen Goodlad
Grant Project Directors/Co Directors:
Jonas Reitz
Charlie Edwards
City Tech Faculty Commons Co-Directors:
Shelley Smith and MaryAnn BiehlÂ
Previous Faculty Common Director:Â Julia V. Jordan
Living Lab Fellowship General Education Seminar Co-Directors:
Karen Goodlad
Alexander Aptekar
Mary Sue Donsky
Sandra Cheng
OpenLab Co-Directors:
Jody Rosen
Jenna Spevack
Jill Belli
Genevieve Hitchings
Assessment Director:
Yimi Zhao, Director of Assessment and Institutional Research
Previous AIRE director:Â Tammie Cumming
Brooklyn Waterfront Research Center:
Director: Richard Hanley
Research and Pedagogy Liaison: Anne Leonard
Past Project Members:
Maura Smale, Living Laboratory Project Director
Matthew Gold, Living Laboratory Project Director
Shelley Smith, General Education Seminar Co-Director
Robin Michals, General Education Seminar Co-Director
Dan Wong, OpenLab Co-Director
Libby Clarke, OpenLab Outreach Lead
