Long-Term Impacts of Integrative Project Work Rick Vaz Dean, Interdisciplinary and Global Studies Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Motivations and Overview of the Study Increasingly, colleges and universities are implementing integrative project work into the curriculum Evidence of impacts can drive reform, justify investment, persuade skeptics, and guide implementation Research questions: ─ What are the long-term impacts of integrative project work? ─ Do integrative projects prepare alumni for careers and life? ─ How do different groups experience integrative project work? Study group: 20,000 graduates of WPI’s project-based curriculum from 1974 through

Worcester Polytechnic Institute WPI’s Integrative Project Requirements Interactive Qualifying Project (IQP) Major Qualifying Project (MQP) Degree requirements, 9 CH each Not courses; small teams (2-4) work independently under faculty direction Most done with external partners Many completed full-time off campus 3

Worcester Polytechnic Institute Curricular Fit and Examples IQP – gen ed capstone; interdisciplinary research project at interface between society and technology; all faculty involved Erosion and flood control in informal settlements, Namibia Housing Action Group Improving community nutrition, AIDS Project Worcester MQP – major capstone; integrative application of disciplinary skills and knowledge to professional-level challenge Design and prototyping of a sorting mechanism, Gillette Biochemical characterization of protein-protein interactions, Prof. K. Wobbe 4

Worcester Polytechnic Institute Study Overview Survey ideation ─ On-line exercise with random sample of alumni Alumni survey ─ Professional and personal impacts of integrative projects ─ 39 areas of long-term impact ─ Stratified random sample (1974 – 2011) ─ 25% response rate (n=2532) Alumni interviews ─ 25 in-depth interviews to explore “how and why” behind long-term impacts Employer interviews (ongoing) ─ Do project experiences produce different graduates and employees? How and why? 5

Worcester Polytechnic Institute Survey Instrument 39 Likert-scale items on IQP/MQP impacts ─ Professional skills and abilities ─ World views ─ Personal impacts Indicate the extent to which your formal project experience at WPI (either through your IQP, your MQP, or both) later enhanced your ability to: Not At All A Little Bit Moderately Much Very Much Develop ideas O O O X O Demographics ─ Major, year of graduation ─ Gender, place of residence ─ Projects done on or off campus 6

Worcester Polytechnic Institute Preliminary Findings 7 Formal project work conveys many positive impacts ─ A wide range of professional abilities and skills ─ Broader world views and personal growth Some alumni groups report especially positive impacts from project work ─ those who completed off-campus projects ─ women ─ engineering majors Interviews reveal compelling stories of growth and transformation

Worcester Polytechnic Institute Professional Impacts % Positive Responses Responsibility for own learning89 Develop ideas 89 Solve problems 88 Effective professional interactions 87 Function effectively on a team86 Effectively manage a project86 Write clearly and effectively 83 Succeed in business or industry 78 Be an effective leader 78 Speak clearly and effectively 76 8

Worcester Polytechnic Institute Alumni Voices: Preparation for Work “For me, when I started to work … every project I got involved with … was like an IQP or an MQP … I just felt … ‘I’ve done this before.’” “[Project work] is really a problem-solving and project management education, and that’s something I use constantly at work.” “It’s close … to what I do now. … I can’t think of another school that would have been suitable for me to be doing what I do now … life is projects.” 9

Worcester Polytechnic Institute Alumni Voices: Professional Skills “You gain so many skills working with other people and you learn to value other people and what they bring.” “I think the [projects] just really mimic, at a very early age—a formative age … in your learning process— … how to work, how to be successful.” “You’ve got to get used to speaking… and answering questions and being confident, and that was invaluable.” “[Project work] teaches you a great deal about how to present yourself … and present your ideas effectively.” 10

Worcester Polytechnic Institute Personal Impacts % Positive Responses Stronger personal character87 Feeling own ideas are important79 Feeling able to make a difference66 Enriched personal life64 Feeling connected to WPI62 Achieving work/life balance53 Desire to stay connected to WPI47 11

Worcester Polytechnic Institute Personal Impacts % Positive Responses Stronger personal character87 Feeling own ideas are important79 Feeling able to make a difference66 Enriched personal life64 Feeling connected to WPI62 Achieving work/life balance53 Desire to stay connected to WPI47 12 “…taking pride in your work, operating according to a strong work ethic, persevering through adversity, being self-motivated, feeling self-confident, feeling self-aware, and operating according to a well-defined code of personal values”

Worcester Polytechnic Institute Alumni Voices: Personal Impacts “[The projects]… give you the opportunity to become independent, work on your own, find … solutions…it just gave me the opportunity to develop my character and drive.” “To have something that really takes you out of your comfort zone … where you can’t predict exactly what’s going to happen. … helped me to become a stronger person as I headed out of college.” “The projects gave me an enhanced confidence level, that I could achieve—and it sounds almost cocky—but I could achieve almost anything.” 13

Worcester Polytechnic Institute Benefits of Off-Campus Projects About 40% of respondents had done at least one project in an immersion away from campus Alumni who did off-campus projects reported more positive impact in 33/39 areas Consistent with research indicating that “study away” experiences convey similar benefits to study abroad “I don’t think it really mattered where I went… my entire experience after the IQP was different than before… Somehow, something changed. I felt like a different person when I came back. … I saw the reason why I went to college, because I saw something taken to completion in the real world.” 14

Worcester Polytechnic Institute Off-Campus Projects: Professional Benefits *** % “Much” or “Very Much” *** Area of Impact AllOn campusOff campus Function effectively on a team Effectively manage a project Interact in a professional capacity Write clearly and effectively Be an effective leader Deliver effective presentations

Worcester Polytechnic Institute Off-Campus Projects: World Views %“Much” or “Very Much” Area of Impact AllOn campusOff campus View issues from different perspectives Understand connections between technology and society Understand people of other cultures Understand global issues Respect for other cultures

Worcester Polytechnic Institute Off-Campus Projects: Personal Impacts % “Much” or “Very Much” Area of Impact AllOn campusOff campus Develop a stronger personal character Enrich life in non-academic or work- related ways Feeling able to "make a difference" Achieve work/life balance Feeling connected to the WPI community

Worcester Polytechnic Institute Off-Campus Projects: Personal Impacts % “Much” or “Very Much” Area of Impact AllOn campusOff campus Develop a stronger personal character Enrich life in non-academic or work- related ways Feeling able to "make a difference" “… appreciating travel, enjoying new cultures, developing new personal interests (for example, theater, food, or exercise), and developing and maintaining deep and lasting friendships.”

Worcester Polytechnic Institute Alumni Voices: Off-Campus Projects “For me it was so eye-opening…it changed my view of the world.” “Staying on campus would have kept me in that little bubble I’m comfortable in, and instead I ended up someplace where I had to kind of grow just to survive there.” “I had never traveled … it made me a better person to have gone there and spent that time there.” 19

Worcester Polytechnic Institute Alumni Voices: Off-Campus Projects “I had a roommate who ended up doing his [project] in Washington … I wish I would have done that … I think he got a lot more out of it [than I did] in a shorter period of time.” “If it was my children going to WPI, I would require them to go off-campus.” “It should definitely be offered to all [students] … it literally can be life-changing.” 20

Worcester Polytechnic Institute Benefits to Women Female alumni reported more positive impact in 36/39 areas Research shows women are more motivated than men by context, application, and collaboration “For the longest time, [I] didn’t want to be an engineer because … I thought that … it was just sitting behind a desk doing calculations…These projects really allowed me to see the impacts on society that engineering can have, and it made it fun, it made it interesting and relatable, and it really stimulated my interest in staying with engineering.” 21

Worcester Polytechnic Institute Project Impact for Engineers Engineering alumni report more positive impacts than non-engineers for 24/24 professional outcomes Significant differences in leadership, interpersonal, and communication skills Possible explanations: ─ Teamwork emphasis in engineering ─ Project-focused nature of engineering 22

Worcester Polytechnic Institute Some Other Findings “Real world” aspect highly motivational Adversity in projects viewed as an asset Unpredictability of projects promoted learning, growth, and confidence Projects viewed as a “safe environment” to develop professional skills 23

Worcester Polytechnic Institute A Few More Voices “I still tell people about [my project] all the time … [it’s] a cornerstone of how I work.” “Both projects definitely had a lasting impact. To this day I talk about those more than … any other academic thing I did.” “One of my fondest memories … in my whole life.” 24

Worcester Polytechnic Institute Conclusions – So Far Integrative projects are doing what was intended – and more – for most WPI graduates ─ Career success and leadership ─ Character, confidence, efficacy Off-campus projects have greater impacts ─ Interpersonal and communication skills ─ Broader world views, personal fulfillment Projects are particularly impactful for women ─ Can aid in attracting and retaining women in STEM Opportunities for improving the experience ─ More off-campus projects ─ More emphasis on certain outcomes ─ Better training and mentoring of advisors 25

Worcester Polytechnic Institute Questions for Discussion Should colleges and universities carve out curricular space for integrative project work? What are the barriers? What evidence will be most persuasive? What implications does project work have for faculty development? 26

Worcester Polytechnic Institute Summer Institute on Project-Based Learning Inaugural offering: June 25-27, 2015 Co-sponsored by WPI and AAC&U Workshop topics to include ─ PBL as a first-year and general-education strategy ─ Partnering with external organizations for PBL ─ Student project team formation, development, and mentoring ─ Integrating PBL into STEM courses ─ Feedback, evaluation, and assessment strategies for PBL ─ PBL in major capstones Applications will open in October – watch for s 27

Worcester Polytechnic Institute WPI in the World Thanks

Worcester Polytechnic Institute 29 About WPI  Founded in 1865  4000 undergraduates, 2000 MS and PhD students, 350 FTE faculty  Engineering (60%), science (30%), business (10%)  All undergraduates complete three integrative projects ─ 3 CH Humanities and Arts project ─ 9 CH Junior Society/Technology project ─ 9 CH Senior Research/Design project

Worcester Polytechnic Institute 30 The WPI Plan (1970) A Faculty-Led Revolution ─ Organized around projects ─ No compulsory courses! ─ Focus on outcomes and abilities ─ 7-week terms, non-punitive grading The Vision: “Technological humanists” ─ Developing a broad perspective ─ Integrating theory and practice ─ Addressing societal needs ─ Considering the impacts of technology ─ Understanding and working with others

Worcester Polytechnic Institute 31 WPI Project Requirements for All Students  2 nd year: Humanities and Arts Capstone ─ General education requirement ─ Seminar or practicum in chosen area ─ Creative, original work  3 rd year: Interactive Qualifying Project ─ General education requirement ─ 9 credit hours, interdisciplinary ─ Connecting technology, society, and environment  4 th year: Major Qualifying Project ─ 9 credit hours, in major field ─ Research or design experience to prepare for career or graduate study

Worcester Polytechnic Institute 32 Our Approach to Project Work “Real” problems, usually suggested by some sponsor Many possible solutions Goal and methods chosen by students Faculty advisors help guide work Students learn to research, combine different ideas, and create original solutions Requires creativity, teamwork, and flexibility

Worcester Polytechnic Institute 33 How Are Students Evaluated?  Quality of results ─ Thorough research ─ Clear thinking ─ Clear writing ─ Effective solutions  Quality of process ─ Steady effort ─ Cooperation and teamwork ─ Communication with others ─ Professional behavior ─ Participation in meetings ─ Presentation skills

Worcester Polytechnic Institute 34 The Interactive Qualifying Project (IQP) 3rd year, 9 credits, students and faculty from all disciplines Not a classroom experience – small teams work independently with advice of faculty and sponsors Projects often suggested by NGOs, not-for-profit organizations, government agencies About 50% of students complete the IQP at an off-campus Project Center

Worcester Polytechnic Institute 35 WPI Global Perspective Program ~40 locations throughout Africa, the Americas, Asia/Pacific, and Europe On-campus preparation (7-14 weeks) ─ Culture, language, context ─ Background research ─ Teamwork, writing, presentation ─ Goal, objectives, methods ─ Formal proposal to sponsor Academic term abroad (7-8 weeks) ─ WPI faculty advisors on site ─ Full-time work with sponsor/community ─ Formal project report ─ Oral presentation

Worcester Polytechnic Institute 36 Off-Campus IQP Centers Tirana, Albania Melbourne, Australia Hong Kong, China San Jose, Costa Rica Copenhagen, Denmark Mandi, India Venice, Italy Ifrane, Morocco Windhoek, Namibia Wellington, New Zealand  Moscow, Russia  Cape Town, South Africa  Bangkok, Thailand  London, UK  Washington, DC  Boston, MA  Nantucket, MA  Worcester, MA  Bar Harbor, ME  San Juan, PR

Worcester Polytechnic Institute 37 Other Off-Campus Centers  MIT Lincoln Laboratories, MA  Microsoft, MA  MITRE, MA  Wall Street, NY/London Humanities & Arts Programs  Ifrane, Morocco  London, UK  Buenos Aires, Argentina  Konstanz, Germany MQP Centers  Nancy, France  Wuhan/Beijing, China  Shanghai, China  Osaka, Japan  Panama City, Panama  Budapest, Hungary  Stantec, Canada/US  Silicon Valley, CA

Worcester Polytechnic Institute Typical WPI Student’s Junior Year 1 semester = 2 terms 1 term = 7 weeks 6 courses / semester 3 courses / term A Term B Term C Term D Term Intro to Statistics Diff. Equations Anatomy Principles of EE Fluid Mechanics Project in Bangkok Soc.Sci. Methods Intro Art History Calc IV Gen. Physics Proposal

Worcester Polytechnic Institute Global Program Participation, 1974 – years, 2500 projects, 9000 students

Worcester Polytechnic Institute Student Participation Trends Type (est) Off-campus IQP Off-campus MQP Off-campus HUA Other Total number of experiences % of graduating class that went off-campus 59%60%53%58%tbd % that went overseas 46%40%45%43%tbd