Linking research, education, and professional skills : vertically integrated projects at 4 institutions

In the Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP) Program, large multidisciplinary student teams are embedded in the scholarship and exploration activities of academic staff. Vertical integration refers to the inclusion of second, third and fourth-year students, along with graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, and academic staff. VIP projects are long-term, spanning many years, and students participate for multiple terms, earning academic credit each term. This allows returning students to become leaders within their teams, enabling long-term disciplinary and professional growth. VIP allows students and academic staff to strive towards a common goal which could be the pursuit of hard technological challenges as well as issues around sustainability, social inclusion and increased equality. It is a way of mobilising the student population whilst providing a first class educational experience. In our presentation we: explain how VIP works; discuss its scalability and sustainability; and describe its implementation by a number EUA member institutions