KEEN Update Session

WPI Institute on Project Based Learning

Chrysanthe Demetry, Ph.D.Associate Professor of Mechanical EngineeringDirector, Morgan Teaching & Learning Center

Glenn Gaudette, Ph.D.Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering

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What Constitutes Project Work?

• Authentic, open-ended problems

• Real, messy, interdisciplinary

• Goal, methods, criteria chosen by students

• Requires integration, analysis, synthesis

• Generation and communication of useful results

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Objectives for Project-Based Learning

• Applying knowledge to complex problems in practical settings

• Understanding problems in social and cultural context

• Learning new topics quickly

• Communicating effectively in written, oral, and visual forms

• Interacting productively with teammates, faculty advisors, sponsors, communities

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Projects Across the Curriculum at WPI• 1st year: Great Problems Seminar

6 credit hours, interdisciplinary

• 2nd year: Humanities and Arts CapstoneSeminar or practicum in chosen area

• 2nd – 4th years: Course Project WorkE.g., formative engineering design

• 3rd year: Interactive Qualifying Project (IQP)9 credit hours, interdisciplinary gen ed

• 4th year: Major Qualifying Project (MQP)9 credit hours, capstone in major field

Project Based Learning vs. Problem Based Learning

Adapted from: J. Larner, Buck Institute, via Edutopia

Similarities• Focus on an open-ended question or problem

• Provide authentic applications of content and skills

• Emphasize student independence and inquiry

• Are longer and more multifaceted than traditional assignmentsDifferences

Project Based Learning Problem Based LearningOften multi-disciplinary More often single subjectMay be lengthy (weeks, months) Tend to be shorter

Includes the creation of a product or performance for a relevant audience

Product may simply be a proposed solution, expressed in writing or in an oral presentation

Often involves real-world, fully authentic tasks and settings

More often uses case studies or fictitious scenarios as ill-structured problems

May be almost entirely student-directed Often includes pre-planned, staged instruction

Research on Project-Based Learning at WPI

• Alumni survey • Professional, world view, and personal impacts• 25% response rate (n=2532)

• Alumni interviews • 25 in-depth interviews to explore “why”

• Employer interviews • Are WPI graduates different? How and why?• 10 in-depth interviews across sectors

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Overview of Findings

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• IQP and MQP convey many positive impacts─ a wide range of professional abilities and skills─ broader world views and personal growth

• Some alumni groups report especially positive impacts─ women─ those who completed off-campus projects

• Alumni interviews reveal compelling stories of growth and transformation

• Employers see project work as a proxy for the skills and abilities they seek

WPI’s Institute on Project-Based Learning• Focuses on planning change at

institutional level• 2.5 day intensive workshop• Teams of 5 or more faculty and

administrators from about 20 varied institutions

• Come with specific goal or initiative they want to advance

• Leave with campus action plan• Opportunity for monitoring and

follow-up

Institute Curriculum• Interactive workshops (examples)

─ PjBL as a first year and general education strategy

─ Partnering with external organizations

─ Project team formation, development, and mentoring

─ Assessment of PjBL

• Consultations and coaching• Lots of team time

A Taste of the Institute:Why doesn’t everyone do PjBL?Pass the problem

• Each poster describes a “fear” or barrier to PjBL• As a group, discuss strategies for managing or

overcoming the fear and write down your ideas (2 min)• Rotate to the next poster• After all groups are done, summarize responses and

report out (1 min each)

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PjBL emphasizes ABET outcomes ranked most important by employers for new hires

Engineering Change: A Study of the Impact of EC2000, Executive Summary, ABET, 2006, p. 11

Entrepreneurial Mindset Learning in Project Based Learning (PjBL)

Elements of the Mindset Examples in PjBL

Curiosity

Demonstrate curiosity about our changing world

Investigate cultural context of the project topic

Explore contrarian view of accepted solutions Engage in questioning with multiple stakeholders

Connections

Integrate information to gain insight Identify, evaluate, and synthesize information from multiple sources and disciplines

Assess and manage risk Real clients: real deadlines and consequences

Creating valueIdentify unexpected opportunity Potential solutions are not pre-conceived

Persist through and learn from failure Often, projects change when students talk to stakeholders

Incorporating EML More Explicitly in PjBL

IMGD MQP Idea Pitch FormWorking Title:

Advisor(s):

Sponsor:

Proposed Team Makeup:

___Art ___Tech ___Other (list): ___________________

Summary of Proposed Project:

Anticipated Impact (if successful, who will this project impact and how?)

Who:

How: How will project create value?

Comments from 2015 Participants[Video Clip]Julia Ross, Dean of the College of Engineering and Information Technology, U. of Maryland Baltimore County

[Video Clip]Simon Stacey, Affiliate Assistant Professor of Political Science and Director, Honors College, U. of Maryland Baltimore County

Cost and Application Process for 2016 Institute on Project-Based Learning• $8,500 per 5-person team

(includes housing, most meals)

• Application questions:─ Team/campus goals for PjBL─ Need and readiness─ Team characteristics

• Application deadline: February 15, 2016