The hands-on nature of project-based learning (PBL) is a big part of why it repeatedly proves to be an effective pedagogical method for student growth and skill building: Students are able to apply skills and concepts from the classroom to real problems, leading to real-world experience and impact. But students aren’t the only ones who benefit from this kind of active-learning approach.
The faculty fellows program at WPI’s Center for Project-Based Learning (CPBL) gives faculty opportunities to conduct their own hands-on, practical research with the goal of advancing PBL education throughout the WPI community and across higher education.
Following the success of last year’s first-ever summer fellowship program, a new cohort of fellows was selected from a competitive field of applicants to develop valuable resources and tools that advance PBL practice and will be shared through the CPBL.
“The Fellowship Program is our opportunity to support and improve the undergraduate education on our campus and also to provide resources we can disseminate to other colleges and universities that wish to implement project-based learning on their campuses,” says Kris Wobbe, director of the CPBL.
The four fellows each received a $10,000 stipend for their work over the summer. From researching the efficient usage of artificial intelligence tools to creating best practice guidelines for faculty and students, these fellows will contribute their ideas to enhance PBL experiences both on the WPI campus and beyond.
Wobbe says, “We are delighted with the projects this year’s fellows have proposed (summarized below), as we are confident each of these will provide a meaningful contribution to the community of project-based learning educators, and will be received with enthusiasm by that community.”
An Assessment of and Guide to Undergraduate Research Projects in the Humanities
John Galante (Humanities & Arts Department) will be developing a guidebook for PBL in undergraduate capstone research projects and weekly workshop sessions. The guidebook will incorporate syllabus design, stacked assignment sequencing, in-class workshop activities, instructor feedback, and student reflection and evaluation. Although based on instruction in seminars on migration, Latin American studies, and global energy, the outcomes also apply to project advising in fields across the humanities and social sciences.
