Long-Term Impacts of Integrative Project Work

Long-Term Impacts of Integrative Project Work

Rick VazDean, Interdisciplinary and Global StudiesWorcester Polytechnic Institute

Worcester Polytechnic Institute2

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 2011

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

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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


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


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

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Preliminary Findings

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• 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


Professional Impacts % Positive Responses

Responsibility for own learning 89

Develop ideas 89

Solve problems 88

Effective professional interactions 87

Function effectively on a team 86

Effectively manage a project 86

Write clearly and effectively 83

Succeed in business or industry 78

Be an effective leader 78

Speak clearly and effectively 76


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.”


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.”


Personal Impacts % Positive Responses

Stronger personal character 87

Feeling own ideas are important 79

Feeling able to make a difference 66

Enriched personal life 64

Feeling connected to WPI 62

Achieving work/life balance 53

Desire to stay connected to WPI 47


Personal Impacts % Positive Responses

Stronger personal character 87

Feeling own ideas are important 79

Feeling able to make a difference 66

Enriched personal life 64

Feeling connected to WPI 62

Achieving work/life balance 53

Desire to stay connected to WPI 47

“…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”


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.”


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.”

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Off-Campus Projects: Professional Benefits

*** % “Much” or “Very Much” ***

Area of Impact All On campus Off campus

Function effectively on a team 66

61 73

Effectively manage a project 65

61 71

Interact in a professional capacity 64 58 73

Write clearly and effectively 56 52 61

Be an effective leader 53 49 60

Deliver effective presentations 51 43 62

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Off-Campus Projects: World Views

%“Much” or “Very Much”


View issues from different perspectives 55

52 60

Understand connections between technology and society 50 48 53

Understand people of other cultures 33

18 47

Understand global issues 31 22 43

Respect for other cultures 29 16 44

16


Off-Campus Projects: Personal Impacts

% “Much” or “Very Much”


Develop a stronger personal character 66 61 72

Enrich life in non-academic or work-related ways 45 27 70

Feeling able to "make a difference" 40

36 46

Achieve work/life balance 30

25 37

Feeling connected to the WPI community 24 16 33

17


Off-Campus Projects: Personal Impacts

% “Much” or “Very Much”


Develop a stronger personal character 66 61 72

Enrich life in non-academic or work-related ways 45 27 70

Feeling able to "make a difference" 40

36 46

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“… appreciating travel, enjoying new cultures, developing new personal interests (for example, theater, food, or exercise), and developing and maintaining deep and lasting friendships.”


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.”


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.”


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.”

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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

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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


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.”


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


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?

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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 emails

[email protected]


WPI in the WorldThanks


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


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 Institute31 31

WPI Project Requirements for All Students

2nd year: Humanities and Arts Capstone─ General education requirement─ Seminar or practicum in chosen area─ Creative, original work

3rd year: Interactive Qualifying Project─ General education requirement─ 9 credit hours, interdisciplinary─ Connecting technology, society, and

environment

4th year: Major Qualifying Project─ 9 credit hours, in major field─ Research or design experience to

prepare for career or graduate study


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


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


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


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


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


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


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 StatisticsIntro to Statistics

Diff. EquationsDiff. Equations

AnatomyAnatomy

Principles of EEPrinciples of EE

Fluid MechanicsFluid Mechanics

Project in Bangkok

Soc.Sci. MethodsSoc.Sci. Methods

Intro Art History

Intro Art HistoryCalc IVCalc IV

Gen. PhysicsGen. Physics

ProposalProposal


Global Program Participation, 1974 – 2013

39 years, 2500 projects, 9000 students

74/75

75/76

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12/13*

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Student Participation TrendsType 2008-

20092009-2010

2010-2011

2011-2012

2012-2013

2013-2014(es

t)

Off-campus IQP

349 357 423 439 477 560

Off-campus MQP

87 97 89 113 85 90

Off-campus HUA

13 15 10 17 25 20

Other 36 32 25 7 8 30Total number of experiences

485 501 547 576 597 700

% of graduating class that went off-campus

59% 60% 53% 58% tbd tbd

% that went overseas

46% 40% 45% 43% tbd tbd

Documents

Long-Term Impacts of Integrative Project Work