Main Body
- Many students struggle to explain what they learn in their classes, especially their Gen Ed classes. They tend to focus on content but the content may not be related to what employers (and parents and other people in their lives and the students themselves) are looking for in their education. We want them to be able to talk about how taking TWP has taught them things, beyond the content, that are valuable.
- The opportunity to practice and develop the HoM is the main goal of TWP. So we need to help students talk about what they have learned through engaging in a student-driven project. This is part of the reason we ask students to engage in self-reflection about their development of the HoM. But we also want to give them, if possible, the opportunity to talk to others about their work and what they’ve learned.
- When we first conceived of TWP as a course, we required all students to participate in the Showcase of Student Engagement so that they would have the opportunity to talk to people outside of their class about their development of the HoM. Since COVID, we haven’t required participation in the Showcase, but as you plan your course, you might think about how you will give students the opportunity to talk about their work with others. For example, they might present their project ideas early in the semester to a panel of faculty and community experts in areas related to the wicked problem. Or they might engage with an external partner who provides a natural audience for their work. Or you might require them to participate in the Showcase. The opportunity to share with others what they’ve learned both in terms of content and in terms of HoM reinforces for students their sense of themselves as active agents in the world and further encourages the practice of self-regulated learning.
