Breakthrough Announcement Updated

October 5, 2026

As the Artificial Intelligence (AI) tsunami continues to gain momentum, it is forcing universities with large engineering and computing programs to make an immediate radical shift from decades of lectures and other forms of passive learning to student-centered active learning.

Texas State University College of Science and Engineering (TXST) in San Marcos, Texas has begun the Start-up and Development Phase for its decision whether to be the lead university for the proposed TUEE Collaboratory, the first comprehensive national pilot designed to transform undergraduate education in engineering/computing (TUEE) at large universities. TXST is in the process of inviting major technical companies in the Austin/San Antonio area to be Strategic Corporate Partners (SCPs) in the two-year pilot project through May 2028. TXST Alumni working for each SCP would establish an informal alumni chapter with each company by the end of fall 2026 semester. Alumni would complement faculty as coaches, mentors and providers of domain expertise to undergraduate students (first year through fourth year) that participate in the pilot project. This breakthrough process enables TXST to be the first large university nationally to deliver interdisciplinary, student-centered, team-based, open ended problem solving and active project learning while faculty can focus on teaching theory and conducting research. By November 17, 2026, TXST and its SCPs will decide whether to proceed with conducting the Development Phase through the balance of the 2026-2027 academic year. During the Development Phase, all essential transformational elements will be established in preparation for implementing the full comprehensive pilot in AY 2027-2028. It is anticipated that at least one additional large university in the southwest and western states will join TXST as a lead university for this proposed nationwide project. Details and announcements will be made periodically on this temporary website.

The reemerging national movement to transform undergraduate education in engineering (TUEE) requires a shift from lectures and other forms of traditional passive student learning without placing additional demands on current faculty. The TUEE Collaboratory features a highly collaborative student-centered active learning model that features interdisciplinary, team-based, open-ended problem solving and project learning involving real-world situations, often with real customers and real potential employers, throughout the undergraduate experience. All TXST students participating in the Development Phase through May 2027 would be Deans List Achievers with 3.5+ GPAs. Third year industry sponsored design projects will be introduced during the 2027 spring semester to enable a four-year academic design spine to be introduced while implementing the comprehensive pilot in the 2027-2028 academic year.

The Current Situation

Harvey Mudd College and Olin College of Engineering have been doing very well at student-centered, active project learning throughout the undergraduate experience for decades but they have a combined enrollment of less than 1,500 students.

The Problem

All large universities lack, by far, the capacity (numbers of faculty) to provide adequate coaching, mentoring, and domain expertise for the various projects, programs, activities, and events required to implement student-centered active project learning throughout the undergraduate experience for each student.

The Solutions

Operating Framework | Innovative Features | Strategic Corpora t e Partners

Establish Strategic Partners

The University would immediately establish founding Strategic Corporate Partners (SCPs). SCPs would be major local companies employing hundreds of The University alumni with engineering and IT backgrounds that live in the local metropolitan area (data can easily be found on LinkedIn with a profile on each alum). Informal Alumni Chapters would be established with each SCP during fall 2026. Also during the fall of 2026, the University would begin engaging alumni members and partnering with local professional chapters of national professional societies (ACM, ASEE, ASME, BMES, IEEE) and national diversity organizations (AISES, NSBE, SHPE, SWE).

Engaging Alumni

The University would engage its own alumni as the source of practicing professionals and recent retirees to collaborate with administrators, faculty, staff and students to overcome the faculty capacity problem that has prevented large universities from implementing student-centered active learning throughout the undergraduate experience for decades. The University alums working at major local companies would participate in creating and developing the required elements throughout the AY 2026-2027 Development Phase, for implementing the proposed comprehensive TUEE Collaboratory pilot during AY 2027-2028.

No Disruption of Current Academic Programs

Except for the four-course academic design spine, the TUEE Collaboratory model is a large student-centered experiential education program with no changes required by The University in currently planned academic programs, courses, activities or events throughout the entire two-year proposed project. Only a few faculty and volunteer students will participate at any given time. Student leaders will be paid for approximately 12 hours per week.