During Summer 2020, Northeastern University designed eighteen asynchronous “global challenge” courses, based on faculty research and using a project-based learning model centered on collaborative problem-solving. This session explains how the Canvas learning environment was leveraged to support PBL’s inductive learning approach and engage remote, first-year students in inquiry and teamwork.
This session will showcase a course structure that was designed to support inductive project-based learning (PBL) in a set of fully online “global challenge” courses taken by geographically dispersed first-year college students.
As one element of its efforts to maintain continuity of curricular offerings during the COVID-19 global pandemic, Northeastern University made a commitment to creating innovative, experiential learning opportunities for a globally dispersed population of first-year students who were unable to come to campus for the Fall 2020 semester. Through a collaboration between the Offices of the Chancellor and Provost, tenure-track research faculty across disciplines, and the University's teaching center, the Center for Advancing Teaching and Learning Through Research (CATLR), the University developed eighteen project-based learning (PBL) courses--all centered around complex, ill-structured global problems, including such issues as racism, antibiotic resistance, sustainable fisheries, immigration and social activism.
These “global challenge” projects and related learning materials were created within a two-month development cycle during the Summer of 2020. The research faculty defined questions to drive student inquiry, curated a set of readings and other materials to support student research into the questions, and recorded videos introducing the significance of the questions as well as presenting guest speakers with a range of perspectives. In the courses, students worked in groups of three or four to develop a proposal for addressing the global challenge in question.
PBL takes an inductive approach to learning, grounded in ill-structured problems. Research has shown PBL to be effective in promoting motivation and engagement as students develop content knowledge and cross-disciplinary skills (Ravitz, 2009). However, learner experiences in PBL environments tend to vary depending on the students’ pedagogical orientation and learning skills, as well as the design, implementation, and facilitation of the experience. This is further complicated when the PBL environment is online and primarily asynchronous.
This inductive approach to learning challenges course developers to rethink the typical weekly format associated with online courses. In PBL, rather than responding to clearly defined weekly activities and proscribed materials, the work of the course is primarily student-directed. Students must decide what they need to know to address the stated problem, find the resources they need, and plan their approach to the work in teams. Faculty take a facilitative role, providing feedback and guiding students’ inquiry as necessary. The structure of online courses, then, needs to center on the processes of learning in PBL, rather than content-oriented activities.
A master course structure was designed by an experienced online learning specialist from CATLR with four goals in mind:
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To reinforce the problem-solving process for students
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To support team-based project work
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To support iterative proposal development
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To scaffold teaching for PhD students who would facilitate the courses
Presenters in this session will share how the Canvas learning environment was leveraged to effectively support PBL’s inductive learning process and engage students in inquiry and teamwork. Specifically, participants will learn how the courses were structured in order to scaffold the project development process, provide an appropriate structure for first-year students online, foster teamwork and collaboration across time zones, and encourage diversity of thought through peer sharing and feedback. Strategies used in the course structure include variable-length modules, activities to scaffold students’ use of curated materials, cyclical project planning, and regular self-evaluation of team performance.
The evolution of these global challenge courses over three terms was informed by regular assessment through surveys of students and course instructors, as well as ongoing communication with course instructors. This embedded assessment has been key to identifying challenges faced by both students and instructors and responding with course design adjustments. Presenters will share significant findings from this ongoing assessment and engage audience members in brainstorming responses to identified challenges.