Interdisciplinary Projects (IDPro@VT)

What will you learn in IDPro?

The Interdisciplinary Projects class (IDPro@VT), housed with Engineering Education at Virginia Tech, helps student develop a range of workplace skills, practices, and mindsets through mentored participation in interdisciplinary projects.

Students from across the College of Engineering and beyond collaborate in interdisciplinary that teams that more accurately reflect real-world workplace situations. Together they work on client-based projects with mentorship from public-sector or industry professionals, and/or university faculty.

IDPro@VT students will develop or improve their ability to:

• identify, evaluate, and negotiate stakeholder needs and constraints to develop a viable list of project specifications;
• collaborate across disciplinary and organizational boundaries;
• apply and develop knowledge and skills needed to complete a project;
• organize and manage a long-term project involving multiple people and stakeholders;
• professionally communicate all necessary project information for a range audiences.

Students engage with clients on

• design projects,
• research projects, or
• conceptualization projects.

Students will spend 2-5 hours per week working in teams.

Projects aren't bound by academic calendar timelines. Interdisciplinary projects can be stand-alone efforts, or considered pre-work for the Capstone senior design project.