Queen’s is taking first steps towards the introduction of Vertically Integrated Projects (VIPs). VIPs span year groups, may run for several years, and are built around small teams. As a context in which students communicate, collaborate and take ownership of their work, VIPs set in train a process that leads naturally to final-year projects. Because they are often interdisciplinary, VIPs are ideally suited to the systems thinking that is required for sustainable real-world solutions. The VIP team at Queen’s (Ian O’Neill and Maria Angela Ferrario, EEECS; Nicole Gui, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering) is supported by the University’s Innovation in Teaching initiative. The team’s goal is to identify and disseminate best practice for establishing and managing VIPs. A dialogue is already underway with VIP leaders in Ireland, the United Kingdom and USA. As an early-stage VIP site, Queen’s will be represented at the Annual VIP Consortium Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, in May 2025. An awareness-raising VIP seminar will be hosted by EEECS in June 2025.

For more information on VIPs see: https://www.vip-consortium.org/