Platform for reinforcing and enhancing student engagement

Platform for reinforcing and enhancing student engagement

In the bustling halls of MIT, Matthew Caren '25 discovered an intriguing opportunity - an invitation to join the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing's (SCC) Undergraduate Advisory Group (UAG). Eager to delve into this unique opportunity, he swiftly submitted an application.

Although a jazz musician with a knack for computer science and engineering, and a passion for music and theater arts, Caren found an immediate connection with the college's emphasis on the intersections between computing, engineering, arts, and academia. Since its inception in April 2020, the UAG has brought together a vibrant committee of around 25 students, with a mix of traditional and "blended" majors, primarily in electrical engineering and computer science (EECS).

This select group advises the college's leadership on a multitude of issues, offering constructive feedback, and serving as a sounding board for groundbreaking ideas. As Caren explains, "The UAG embodies the spirit of the college itself. When you intentionally assemble a motley crew of brilliant, fun-loving individuals with wildly diverse interests, you'll spark some truly fascinating discussions and interactions."

Throughout his time with the UAG, Caren cultivated unforgettable friendships and found solid collaborators. During monthly meetings with SCC dean Dan Huttenlocher and Deputy Dean Asu Ozdaglar (also the EECS department head), students shared their challenges, concerns, and suggestions, with guests from across MIT, such as faculty members seeking student input for new course development.

"The UAG offers a rare opportunity to communicate directly with the college's leadership. They carve out time in their hectic schedules to hear our concerns from the ground level, straight from our firsthand experiences," beams Caren.

Huttenlocher appreciates the students' enthusiasm for computer science and AI, particularly the way these fields intersect with other disciplines. "Hearing their perspective is invigorating. Their honesty and feedback have been invaluable to me as dean," he shares. Ozdaglar echoes this sentiment, adding, "Engaging with the students each month has been an essential experience for understanding the student experience more holistically."

UAG program manager Ellen Rushman admires the duo's efforts in cultivating an atmosphere where students feel comfortable expressing both positive and negative feedback. Notably, the UAG's suggestions are often implemented, and their input has influenced significant decisions, like the design of the SCC building.

In 2021, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the architects working on the new SCC building, presented their renderings at a UAG meeting, requesting student feedback. The original design included few hybrid study and meeting booths, a popular feature in today's first-floor lobby. The passionate UAG members made their opinions known about the importance of open-plan, community-centric spaces, contributing to the current floor plan's transformation.

Caren, who has recently completed his tenure as co-chair of the group in preparation for graduation, was thrilled to witness this transformation: "I genuinely feel jubilant whenever I can't find a table in that personalized space. It's always bustling with activity!"

His co-chair, rising senior Julia Schneider (double-majoring in artificial intelligence and decision-making and mathematics), joined the UAG in her first year to understand more about the college's mission of promoting interdisciplinary collaborations. Schneider found the college's aim particularly resonant, as her research interests in robotics span mechanical engineering, dovetailing with the college's computing-focused initiatives.

Throughout her time on the UAG, Schneider has collaborated on various projects, like curating a public lecture series for the 2025-26 academic year, aimed at providing MIT students exposure to faculty who conduct research in various fields relating to computing. In one instance, after hearing about the challenges students face in navigating the numerous potential courses to take during their tenure, Schneider and other UAG members formed a subgroup to find a solution.

After much brainstorming, this subgroup developed a course visualization website, NerdXing - a tool designed to help students find paths beyond mere degree requirements, promoting a diverse and interdisciplinary educational journey. Led by Rob Miller, a distinguished computer science professor in EECS, the subgroup utilized a dataset of EECS course enrollments over the past decade to create a unique tool distinct from existing ones like CourseRoad.

Miller comments, "the team's idea is remarkably innovative--to help students explore paths taken by their peers with diverse interests, tying together more than just computer science, but other subjects like biology, music, and economics. This initiative embodies the essence of the College of Computing, leveraging data-driven computational methods to support students with wide-ranging computational interests."

slated for release this spring, NerdXing lets students visualize the hundreds of possible courses their peers have taken over the past decade. Schneider demonstrates a sample search, explaining, "If you're a computer science major and interested in 18.404 (Theory of Computation), the tool could unexpectedly lead you to 21M.302 (Harmony and Counterpoint II), an advanced music class, helping students find courses that go beyond filling degree requirements."

In essence, the UAG is more than just a student advisory group. It empowers MIT students to shape and strengthen the college experience, demonstrating the real-world skills that MIT students possess: identifying issues, brainstorming solutions, and taking action to implement meaningful change. As Schneider puts it, "We're MIT students. We have the skills to build solutions."

1. Matthew Caren, a student at MIT, found an opportunity to join the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing's Undergraduate Advisory Group (UAG), which focuses on intersections between computing, engineering, arts, and academia.
2. The UAG, established in April 2020, consists of around 25 students, primarily in electrical engineering and computer science.
3. Students in the UAG advise the college's leadership, offering feedback and serving as a sounding board for groundbreaking ideas.
4. UAG members share concerns, challenges, and suggestions with SCC dean Dan Huttenlocher, Deputy Dean Asu Ozdaglar, and guests from across MIT.
5. Caren appreciates the rare opportunity to communicate directly with the college's leadership, who make time for student input at the ground level.
6. Huttenlocher values the students' perspective on intersecting fields like computer science, AI, and other disciplines.
7. Ozdaglar finds engagement with students valuable to understand the student experience holistically.
8. UAG program manager Ellen Rushman admires the atmosphere where students feel comfortable expressing both positive and negative feedback.
9. In 2021, the UAG influenced the design of the SCC building by requesting more hybrid study and meeting booths, emphasizing open-plan, community-centric spaces.
10. Julia Schneider, a rising senior and co-chair of the UAG, found the college's mission of promoting interdisciplinary collaborations resonated with her research interests in robotics.
11. Schneider and other UAG members developed NerdXing, a course visualization website, to help students find diverse and interdisciplinary educational paths, promoting learning, personal growth, education-and-self-development, and mental development.

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