What Is SOURCE?
“SOURCE (Scaling Our Undergraduate Real-world Convergence Education) is a National Science Foundation–funded initiative advancing how universities prepare students to solve complex, real-world problems. We study and strengthen Convergence Education (CE)—an approach where learning integrates ideas and methods from multiple disciplines to address meaningful societal and scientific challenges.
SOURCE builds on 鶹Ʒ’s successful M3 Design & Innovation Program, which brought together students from technology, liberal arts, and business and engaged more than 900 undergraduates from 65 majors. With SOURCE, we extend and deepen this work to create models that can be used at research universities nationwide.”
Our Vision
“A future where Convergence Education is a natural, supported, and flourishing part of undergraduate learning—empowering students from all backgrounds to collaborate across disciplines and drive innovation that benefits society.”
Our Mission
To scale and sustain Convergence Education by:
- Developing and studying new CE teaching models
- Training the next generation of CE scholars and educators
- Reducing institutional barriers that limit cross-disciplinary learning
- Building national networks that support long-term culture change in higher education
- Sharing research-based guidance and tools that help other universities implement CE effectively
What Is Convergence Education?
Convergence Education (CE) is an approach where students:
- Connect knowledge across disciplines
- Work on authentic, real-world problems
- Learn collaboratively in diverse teams
- Integrate human, technical, and business perspectives
- Design and test innovative solutions
CE prepares students to engage with complex domains such as climate, health, energy, technology, and community challenges.
How We Approach This Work
SOURCE uses a Communities of Transformation (CoT) model to advance meaningful and lasting educational change. This includes:
- A shared philosophy centered on integrated, inclusive learning
- Cross-college collaborations and co-teaching
- Ethnography and design-based research (DBR) to iteratively improve programs
- Networks of faculty, students, and partners who collectively sustain CE efforts
Our Foundation: The M3 Framework
Our work is grounded in the Mission–Meaning–Making (M3) Convergence Learning Framework, which brings together:
- Mission: Business perspectives such as communication, value creation, and strategy
- Meaning: Liberal arts perspectives such as context, culture, and human needs
- Making: Technology and engineering practices such as prototyping and design
This model demonstrated that students can maintain their disciplinary identity while gaining powerful, integrated learning experiences.