Mini workshop — Great problems lead to great projects: A first year seminar course

In 2007 WPI initiated the Great Problems Seminars to engage First Year students with current events, societal problems and human needs while developing skills that will facilitate subsequent project work. These seminars focus on large global issues - energy and its utilization, food and hunger, disease and healthcare delivery and the NAE Grand Challenges. Each is led by two faculty from disparate departments who expose the students to the complexity of the problem using a number of disciplinary perspectives. Students develop information literacy, effective writing and speaking skills, while working in teams on short assignments. For the final project student teams work with faculty supervision to analyze some aspect of the problem and/or develop a partial solution. The seminars culminate in a Project presentation day where all student groups present a poster on their work. We have assessment data that show that the courses achieve their desired outcomes. The special session will review the motivation to create these courses and provide information about course organization and logistics. Participants will review student projects, discuss the preparation required, and determine how elements of this program can be utilized on their home campus. Ideas generated by participants will be shared with all.