In a recent opinion piece for University Affairs, Robert E Zee (University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies) discusses how the “teaching hospital” approach can help students in non-health programs to develop transferable skills. Zee describes how the Space Flight Laboratory has adopted the “teaching hospital” model of education, which comprises three key aspects: formal instruction, research, and real-world practice. In the first two, students widen their knowledge base with formal classroom instruction and research cutting-edge technologies. At SFL, the third aspect offers graduate students the opportunity to work under the guidance of spacecraft engineers and mentors to design, build, launch, and operate small satellites. Zee writes that this approach can be applied outside of a medical environment to produce a highly competent workforce.
