1. A Project-Based Approach to Global Learning The WPI Global Projects Program Rick Vaz Dean, Interdisciplinary and Global Studies Worcester Polytechnic Institute

2. 2 Goals for this Talk Describe a project-based approach to global learning Provide examples Explore evidence of impacts on alumni Discuss implications for students, faculty, and institutions

3. Worcester Polytechnic Institute 3 What Constitutes Project Work? Authentic, open-ended problems Real, messy, interdisciplinary Goal, methods chosen by students Requires integration, analysis, synthesis Generation and communication of useful results

4. Worcester Polytechnic Institute 4 Objectives for Project-Based Learning Applying knowledge to complex problems in practical settings Understanding problems in social, cultural, and global contexts Learning new topics quickly Communicating effectively in written, oral, and visual forms Interacting productively with teammates, faculty advisors, sponsors, communities

5. Worcester Polytechnic Institute How Are Project Students Evaluated?  Quality of results ─ Careful research ─ Valid analysis ─ Persuasive writing ─ Effective solutions  Quality of process ─ Steadiness of effort ─ Interactions with others ─ Written and verbal communication ─ Timeliness and professionalism

6. Worcester Polytechnic Institute 6 The WPI Plan (1970)  Project-Based Curriculum  Authentic problem solving  Emphasis on outcomes and abilities  Flexible requirements  Student responsibility for learning  Collaboration, not competition  “Technological Humanism”  Addressing important needs  Considering impacts of technology  Understanding, working with others  Emphases beyond the major

7. Worcester Polytechnic Institute 7 Projects Across the Curriculum at WPI 1 st year: Great Problems Seminar ─ 6 credit hours, interdisciplinary 2 nd year: Humanities and Arts Capstone ─ Creative work in chosen area 2 nd – 4 th years: Course Project Work ─ E.g., formative engineering design 3 rd year: Interactive Qualifying Project (IQP) ─ 9 credit hours, interdisciplinary gen ed 4 th year: Major Qualifying Project (MQP) ─ 9 credit hours, capstone in major field

8. Worcester Polytechnic Institute 8 Projects Across the Curriculum at WPI 1 st year: Great Problems Seminar ─ 6 credit hours, interdisciplinary 2 nd year: Humanities and Arts Capstone ─ Creative work in chosen area 2 nd – 4 th years: Course Project Work ─ E.g., formative engineering design 3 rd year: Interactive Qualifying Project (IQP) ─ 9 credit hours, interdisciplinary gen ed 4 th year: Major Qualifying Project (MQP) ─ 9 credit hours, capstone in major field

9. Worcester Polytechnic Institute WPI Global Projects Program ~70% of students complete at least one project in a fulltime immersion off campus ~50% do at least one project overseas WPI operates 40+ off-campus Project Centers around the globe The typical cohort is 24 students (6 teams of 4) and 2 resident faculty advisors

10. Worcester Polytechnic Institute 10 Interactive Qualifying Project (IQP)  Junior year, 9 CH, gen ed requirement  Not a course – teams conduct inquiry under faculty direction  Students, faculty from all fields  Society/technology focus  Most sponsored by NGOs, gov’t, nonprofits  70% completed off campus; 50% overseas

11. Worcester Polytechnic Institute 11 Educational Objectives of the IQP  Research & problem solving  Critical thinking  Communication  Teamwork & leadership  Ethical awareness  Contextual understanding of science & technology  Human needs and values  Social structures and policies  Cultural norms

12. Worcester Polytechnic Institute 12 Examples of Global IQPs Promoting sustainable tourism ─ City of Venice, Italy Relieving traffic congestion ─ Town of Mandi, India Alerting systems and egress for the deaf ─ VicDeaf, Melbourne, Australia Erosion and flood control in informal settlements ─ Namibia Housing Action Group

13. Worcester Polytechnic Institute 13

14. Worcester Polytechnic Institute 14 Major Qualifying Project (MQP)  Senior year, 9 CH, in major  Not a course  Teams of 1-4, advisor(s) from major  Professional-level challenge, e.g., design or research  Many sponsored by corporations, research labs  About 15% completed off campus, 5% overseas

15. Worcester Polytechnic Institute 15 Educational Objectives of the MQP  Application of knowledge and skills  Research/design context  Problem solving  Critical thinking  Communication  Teamwork & leadership  Preparation for workplace or graduate school

16. Worcester Polytechnic Institute 16 Examples of Local and Global MQPs  Water supply modeling for Wachusett Reservoir  MA Dept of Conservation & Recreation  Human artery plaque progression  National Science Foundation  Sustainable landscape architecture  Stantec, Nova Scotia  Improving drying technology  Pacific Can, Beijing

17. Worcester Polytechnic Institute Signal Analysis Psychology A Term Asian Studies IC Design IQP B TermC Term Networks Materials VLSI Design D Term On-Campus Project Scheduling Probability IQP History

18. Worcester Polytechnic Institute Signal Analysis Psychology Probability A Term Asian Studies IC Design Project Preparation B Term IQP In Hong Kong C Term Networks Materials VLSI Design D Term Off-Campus Project Scheduling

19. Worcester Polytechnic Institute 19 International IQP Centers Tirana, Albania Melbourne, Australia Hangzhou, China Hong Kong, China San Jose, Costa Rica Copenhagen, Denmark Cuenca, Ecuador Thessaloniki, Greece Mandi, India Venice, Italy Ifrane, Morocco  Windhoek, Namibia  Wellington, New Zealand  Asuncion, Paraguay  Panama City, Panama  Moscow, Russia  Cape Town, South Africa  Bangkok, Thailand  London, UK  Worcester, UK

20. Worcester Polytechnic Institute 20 International IQP Centers Tirana, Albania Melbourne, Australia Hangzhou, China Hong Kong, China San Jose, Costa Rica Copenhagen, Denmark Cuenca, Ecuador Thessaloniki, Greece Mandi, India Venice, Italy Ifrane, Morocco  Windhoek, Namibia  Wellington, New Zealand  Asuncion, Paraguay  Panama City, Panama  Moscow, Russia  Cape Town, South Africa  Bangkok, Thailand  London, UK  Worcester, UK

21. Worcester Polytechnic Institute 21 Other International Programs Humanities Centers  Ifrane, Morocco  London, UK  Buenos Aires, Argentina  Konstanz, Germany (exchange) Major (MQP) Centers  Beijing, China  Shanghai, China  Nancy, France  Budapest, Hungary  Eilat, Israel  Kyoto, Japan  Nova Gorica, Slovenia

22. Worcester Polytechnic Institute 22 Supporting Off-Campus Operations Faculty Center Directors ─ Develop/maintain relationships ─ Identify projects ─ Recruit/select students Local Coordinators ─ Local connections ─ Housing, logistics Key On-Campus Partners ─ Interdisciplinary and Global Studies ─ Gordon Library ─ Student Development & Counseling ─ Office of Student Life ─ Center for Teaching and Learning

23. Worcester Polytechnic Institute 23 Delivering the Learning Experience Academic Preparation ─ 4.5 credits, 7 weeks ─ Culture, language, context ─ Teamwork, writing, presentation ─ Goal, objectives, methods ─ Proposal to sponsor On-Site Immersion ─ 9 credits, 7 weeks ─ Faculty advisors on site ─ Fulltime project work ─ Drafts, meetings, presentations ─ Close interaction with sponsors ─ Final report and presentation

24. Worcester Polytechnic Institute 24 Support and Scaffolding  Nonacademic preparation  Mandatory orientations, policies  Health, safety, sexual assault  On-site advisor training  Managing risk, dealing with crises  Handling teamwork & personal problems  Building relationships with sponsors  Representing WPI locally

25. Worcester Polytechnic Institute A Blend of Experiential Learning Models Project-based learning ─ Application of knowledge in authentic settings ─ Promotes problem solving, critical thinking Study abroad ─ Preparation for global engagement ─ Promotes cognition, personal development Service learning ─ Reflective interaction with communities ─ Promotes interpersonal skills, identity development 25

26. Worcester Polytechnic Institute Study Away (Sobania and Braskamp, 2009) Includes both study abroad and domestic off- campus experiences Can include elements of study abroad, project- based learning, and service learning Promotes many of the same learning outcomes Less costly than study abroad, can address global learning objectives Fewer obstacles to faculty participation Easier to integrate into curricula 26

27. Worcester Polytechnic Institute 27 Student and Program Evaluation  Grades reflecting results and process  Student ratings of learning and advising  Sponsor feedback solicited  Regular program assessment  Aligned with institutional LOs  Instrumental to accreditation  Used for improvement WPI ranked 18th of 1,312 US institutions for 20-year net ROI

28. Worcester Polytechnic Institute WPI Alumni Study Increasingly, other universities are moving toward project-based and experiential education WPI has 40 years of experience and 20,000+ Plan graduates to learn from Research questions: ─ What are the long-term impacts of the IQP and MQP? ─ Do IQPs and MQPs prepare WPI alumni for success? ─ How do different groups experience the IQP and MQP? 28

29. Worcester Polytechnic Institute Study Overview Survey development ─ Online, random sample of alumni Alumni survey (n=2532) ─ Professional, world view, and personal impacts Alumni interviews (n=25) ─ 25 in-depth interviews to explore “why” Employer interviews (n=10) ─ Are WPI graduates different? How and why? 29

30. 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) 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 30

31. Worcester Polytechnic Institute Survey Recruitment Target population: 20,023 alumni Stratified sample: 10,072 alumni Goals: 20% response, 95% confidence level, ±3% confidence interval Strategy: ground mail letter/incentive followed by web-based survey Results: 25% response (n=2532), 95% confidence level, ± 1.8% confidence interval 31

32. Worcester Polytechnic Institute Overview of Findings 32 Project work conveys many positive impacts ─ A wide range of professional abilities and skills ─ Broader world views and personal growth Interviews reveal compelling stories of growth and transformation Employers view project curriculum as a proxy for desired skills, “fast track” to success Some alumni groups report especially positive impacts ─ women ─ engineering majors ─ those who completed off-campus projects

33. Worcester Polytechnic Institute Overview of Findings 33 Project work conveys many positive impacts ─ A wide range of professional abilities and skills ─ Broader world views and personal growth Interviews reveal compelling stories of growth and transformation Employers view project curriculum as a proxy for desired skills, “fast track” to success Some alumni groups report especially positive impacts ─ women ─ engineering majors ─ those who completed off-campus projects

34. 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 34

35. Worcester Polytechnic Institute Alumni Voices: Preparation for Work “[Project work] is really a problem-solving and project management education, and that’s something I use constantly at work.” “The IQP, 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.” “I think the IQP and the MQP just really mimic, at a very early age—a formative age … in your learning process— … how to work, how to be successful.” 35

36. 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 36

37. 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 37 “…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”

38. 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.” 38

39. Worcester Polytechnic Institute Impact of Study Away 39 Alumni who “studied away” reported more positive impact in 33 of 39 areas “I don’t think it really mattered where I went… my entire experience after the [project] 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.” --Alumnus who did a domestic off-campus project

40. Worcester Polytechnic Institute Off-Campus Projects: World Views %“Much” or “Very Much” Area of Project Impact On campusOff campusp Ability to view issues from different perspectives 5260<.001 Understanding people of other cultures 1948<.001 Understanding global issues 2444<.001 Respect for other cultures 1745<.001 40

41. Worcester Polytechnic Institute Off-Campus Projects: Personal Impacts % “Much” or “Very Much” Area of Impact On campusOff campusp Development of a stronger personal character 6472 <.001 Enriched life in non-academic or work- related ways 2870 <.001 Feeling able to "make a difference" 3847 <.001 Ability to achieve work/life balance 2739<.001 Feeling connected to the WPI community 1732<.001 41

42. Worcester Polytechnic Institute Off-Campus Projects: Professional Skills *** % “Much” or “Very Much” *** Area of Impact On campusOff campusp Ability to function effectively on a team 6575<.001 Ability to effectively manage a project 6573<.001 Interact in a professional capacity 5873<.001 Ability to write clearly and effectively 5363<.001 Ability to be an effective leader 5262<.001 Understanding ethical responsibilities 3044<.001 42

43. Worcester Polytechnic Institute Alumni Interviews: 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.” 43

44. Worcester Polytechnic Institute The Motivational Factor of Authentic Work “If you’re in school and a professor asks you a question, you’d better give them an answer, even if it’s wrong. In the real world, the only answers that matter are the right ones. So that requires a different way of thinking, and you learn that from doing projects with people who actually depend on your answers being right.” 44

45. Worcester Polytechnic Institute Benefits to Women Female alumni reported more positive impact in 36/39 areas 90% of WPI students major in STEM fields, so this is of interest 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. 45

46. Worcester Polytechnic Institute Other Findings and Recurring Themes “Real world” aspect highly motivational ─ Authentic problems provide richness, complexity ─ Stakeholders provide motivation, context Adversity in projects viewed as an asset in hindsight Unpredictability of projects promoted learning, growth, and confidence Projects viewed as a “safe environment” to develop professional skills 46

47. Worcester Polytechnic Institute A Few More Alumni 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.” 47

48. Worcester Polytechnic Institute 48 Changing Faculty and Student Roles  Faculty move away from ─ Dispensing information ─ Authority and expert  Students move away from ─ Listening/watching ─ Dependence ─ Gaining knowledge and toward ─ Monitoring inquiry ─ Coach and facilitator and toward ─ Creating/discovering ─ Independence ─ Making knowledge

49. Worcester Polytechnic Institute Faculty Roles in Off-Campus Projects  Finding sponsors and projects  Recruiting and preparing students  Academic guidance ─ Discussing research plans ─ Meetings with team and sponsor ─ Responding to written drafts and presentations ─ Evaluating results and process  Nonacademic roles ─ Logistical arrangements ─ Teamwork coaching ─ Maintaining relationships with sponsoring organizations

50. Worcester Polytechnic Institute Global Program Participation, 1974 - 2015 40 years, 2900 projects, 10,800 students

51. Worcester Polytechnic Institute 51 Faculty Involvement  All T/TT faculty (and many NTTs) advise projects as part of their teaching  Considered in T&P, annual reviews  “Apprenticeship” training  Departments with lots of majors do more MQPs  About 50% involved in IQPs  Each year, ~15% of faculty spend a term advising IQPs off-campus (from all depts.)

52. Worcester Polytechnic Institute Institutional Impacts of Off-Campus Projects Student learning and culture ─ enhanced general education and major-specific outcomes ─ global preparedness ─ “make a difference” Faculty culture ─ broad involvement ─ pride in “signature program” Community and academic partners ─ mutual benefits ─ sustainable relationships Institutional identity ─ recruitment, advancement, marketing

53. Worcester Polytechnic Institute Other Benefits Rich accreditation evidence ─ “understand engineering in global/social context” Faculty professional/personal development ─ Powerful experience, attractive opportunity Multidisciplinary collaboration ─ Team teaching leads to other partnerships Faculty research opportunities ─ International partnerships

54. Worcester Polytechnic Institute 54 What Does It Cost, Who Pays? Students/families pay travel and living costs ($3k - $8k) Global stipend ($5k) for all students starting in fall of 2017 Sponsor project fees cover about 20% of operating expenses and subsidize some student costs Faculty advisors are the greatest resource implication for WPI: time, travel, housing Program cost/credit is similar to the overall curriculum: about $4000 per 9 CH student experience

55. Worcester Polytechnic Institute 55 A New Goal for WPI “Doing off-campus projects has a huge and positive impact on our students, so I believe we must commit ourselves to make it possible for all undergraduates to have the opportunity to pursue at least one of their projects off- campus.” President Laurie A. Leshin Inaugural address, November 2014

56. Worcester Polytechnic Institute 56 Thanks!

57. Worcester Polytechnic Institute Center for Project-Based Learning 2015: Institute on Project-Based Learning ─ Faculty teams from 17 colleges & universities ─ Workshops, coaching, campus action plans 2016: Launch of Center funded by Gordon Prize ─ Annual Institutes ─ Custom workshops and consultation ─ Models, resources, and publications 57