It’s the core conundrum of PBL, you’ve developed a project, become the guide on the side, and everyone in your class is engaged but suddenly there is a problem; the students have come up with the unexpected. What do you do when you can no longer guide because you don’t know where you are going?
The same dilemma pops up on the student side of things. Your team is working well, you have all the rules figured out, and then suddenly life throws a curveball. This could come in form of one of your ideas not working out or in the form of teammate conflict. What do you do when your plan no longer works?
In our last community of practice, we discussed what to do when you reach the end of your road map. Many of the takeaways were to ask for help, rely on resources, and to reach out to other members of the Community of Practice. This blog post is designed to link to some of those resources on campus as well as some team-building resources to help address student concerns.
Several different things can cause your project to take a turn for the unexpected. It could be related to scheduling changes, current events, or just that your students came up with an idea that you had not thought of yet. To teach PBL, it is not necessary to be a master of everything. With that in mind, I have linked to several different resources on campus to help manage PBL projects that end up looking differently than expected.
DLINQ: DLINQ works with students and professors on campus to help create digital projects encompassing website building, graphic design, and others. If students need help, they can attend drop-in hours at the Wilson Media Lab with DLINQ Interns. http://dlinq.middcreate.net/labs/
Physical Resources for Prototyping/Building: Students have access to both the on-campus Makerspace (possibly still closed due to COVID) as well as the Makery at the Hannaford’s Career Center off-campus. Both have access to 3d printing, sewing materials, and woodworking supplies. https://makerspace.middcreate.net/ ; https://www.makeryatpahcc.org/labs
Money for Continuing Projects: If students are excited to launch or implement their project, grants and resources are available through Middlebury’s Innovation Hub. https://www.middlebury.edu/office/innovation-hub/programs
Ruth Hardy, Addison County’s State Senator: Senator Hardy has previously worked with students, including one of my classes, on projects that involve public policy and Vermont issues. She can be reached at rhardy@leg.state.vt.us
A crucial part of resolving lopsided inter-team dynamics is a continued evaluation and reflection. Although some circumstances may require you as a professor to intervene in a group, linked below are some resources to help students evaluate their team dynamics. Also, in this student’s opinion, being upfront from the start is crucial to help students form healthy teams. The longer the project, the more students know to invest in developing strong relationships with their teammates.
Self/Group Reflection Sheets:
Remember, at the end of the day, failure is just as valuable of a lesson as success.
