The GCSU VIP Program encompasses project-based learning courses in which students participate on multidisciplinary teams for academic credit. Each VIP team has large-scale and multi-faceted objectives in research, design, entrepreneurship, and/or community outreach & service. A VIP faculty advises each VIP team composed of 1st through 4th year students — with each student participating from one to three years. New VIP students learn from and replace those who graduate by engaging in peer-to-peer learning and mentorship which sustains each VIP team beyond any one student. The vertical integration of students and faculty from across different levels of expertise onto a team inspired the Vertically Integrated Projects name.
Three essential characteristics of the VIP Model of Experiential Learning are:
- Projects based on faculty advisor’s innovation projects and expertise;
- Undergraduate participation for course credit over several semesters; and
- Learning outcomes focused on the development of disciplinary and professional skills.
VIP Consortium
The VIP Program started at Purdue in 2001 and found a new home at Georgia Tech in 2009. Since then, the program has expanded into the VIP Consortium of 45+ institutions around the world. The VIP Consortium was recognized with the 2019 ABET Innovation Award for dissemination of this transformative approach to engineering education.
The GCSU VIP Program was founded in Spring 2022 with support from Georgia Research Alliance.