In 1993, Renate Fruchter, a lecturer and senior research engineer in civil and environmental engineering at Stanford University, established the Project Based Learning Laboratory (PBL Lab) to develop and investigate project-based learning – an educational process whereby students gain knowledge and skills through long-term, real-world challenges – with an emphasis on multidisciplinary, remote teamwork.

As part of her lab’s mission, she also created a new course for civil and environmental engineering students called AEC Global Teamwork (CEE222), named for the architecture, structural engineering and construction students it would include. Mimicking the reality Fruchter foresaw, this project-based learning course required student teams, composed of different building disciplines, to produce professional-grade building designs – all while working remotely.

Fruchter is getting ready to launch the 25th AEC Global Teamwork generation in January, a class that will follow in the footsteps of almost 1,000 alumni who have created nearly 130 building designs and construction plans. The course and the PBL Lab continue to integrate and assess cutting-edge collaborative technologies, attract top building design and construction talent, and foster a growing and devoted community of students, industry mentors and alumni.

Read the entire Stanford News Story by Taylor Kubota HERE

See more from Renate HERE
Image Credit: L.A. Cicero