Pros/cons of project-based curriculum?

<p>WPI seems to have a lot going for it. It is only a couple of hours from us and I am going to make sure my son checks it out. He's the type of person who functions best with some structure and routine, at least with regard to producing measurable results. If applied and accepted, he would probably major in interactive media and game design. He has been creating his own games for years and is highly self-motivated in that area (and perhaps only in that area) - wants everything out of the way as fast as possible so he can work on his game. He does not spend much time playing video games at all.</p>

<p>As I've looked into WPI, it seems like there are 3 large projects and a bunch of smaller ones shoehorned in over the 4 years. How much structure, direction, and benchmarking is provided? Or are the major projects a blank slate as to what the student wants to do for a large project, who with, and how he or she goes about it? What do you think are the strengths and weaknesses of WPI's project approach?</p>

<p>From what I can tell, there is plenty of structure unless you don’t want any.
Humanities and arts requirement includes a capstone Inquiry Seminar or Practicum which can be a set of courses or could be a project of the student’s design. My student is taking advanced courses in the German department to meet this requirement. So it doesn’t have to be a “project” per se. <a href=“https://www.wpi.edu/academics/hua/ugrad-requirements.html[/url]”>https://www.wpi.edu/academics/hua/ugrad-requirements.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>IQP - the majority of students work on projects that are done in conjunction with government agencies or non-profits of many kinds in project centers all over the world.<br>
[Interdisciplinary</a> and Global Studies: Interactive Qualifying Project - WPI](<a href=“http://www.wpi.edu/academics/igsd/iqp.html]Interdisciplinary”>http://www.wpi.edu/academics/igsd/iqp.html)
[-</a> Starting a Project](<a href=“http://www.wpi.edu/academics/Projects/started.html]-”>http://www.wpi.edu/academics/Projects/started.html)
If you read those pages you can see that students CAN design their own projects.</p>

<p>MQP - Many of the MQP projects are sponsored by corporations but also some government agencies. Again students can create their own under the guidance of faculty. Each major provides specific MQP opportunities both on campus or off-site. You can read more in the course catalog that explains it in depth:
[ugrad13-14[/url</a>]</p>

<p>Here’s the current list of locations for IQP and MQPs:
[url=&lt;a href=“http://wpi-sa.terradotta.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ListAll]Programs”&gt;http://wpi-sa.terradotta.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ListAll]Programs</a> > List All > The Global Perspective Program](<a href=“http://www.wpi.edu/academics/catalogs/ugrad/flip/?page=18]ugrad13-14[/url”>http://www.wpi.edu/academics/catalogs/ugrad/flip/?page=18)</p>

<p>My son did not do the optional First Year program “Great Problems Seminar” -
[First</a> Year Experience: Great Problems Seminar (GPS) - WPI](<a href=“http://www.wpi.edu/academics/firstyear/gps.html]First”>Great Problems Seminar | Worcester Polytechnic Institute)</p>

<p>The use of projects within the curriculum is one of the main reasons my son chose WPI over many other schools. He will do an IQP in Copenhagen this year :)</p>

<p>Thank you Beantown Girl. Structure is a good thing (with regard to my son) - so that’s where I am coming from. He doesn’t do as well with ambiguity and open-ended situations, at least not yet.</p>

<p>snowdog your son sounds exactly like mine. After scouring (hardly an exaggeration) all of the available colleges and universities, WPI seems like the best overall fit. He’s motivated about games (creating the art and characters) and wants to major in computer science to be able to construct the games. </p>

<p>My child really liked WPI when we did the visit, but frankly isn’t really into community service. How big a hit would that be, both in the application process and as far as needing to devote time to these projects?</p>

<p>Many (most?) college engineering programs use some form of project based curriculum, whether they advertise it or not. After all, what is engineering but working on projects? As a professional engineer, you will typically work in teams with other engineers of different specialties in order to solve problems and make new designs. Being a team player is critical to one’s professional career.</p>

<p>These engineering projects that are part of the course of study will be quite different from community service projects. Community service projects tend to be focused on providing volunteer manual labor while the engineering project is more of an intellectual challenge. Some colleges will also have projects outside the normal course of studies that can be more labor intensive, but these are usually optional and is not what the WPI (or the typical school) project based curriculum is about (from what I saw with my daughter at WPI). </p>

<p>When looking for a job after graduating, the hiring manager can get a good feel about the applicant’s engineering knowledge by looking at their grades (I would go over their transcripts to look at the grades in specific classes) and a few questions in the interview. As a retired engineering manager, I would always be interested in what a college applicant did as internships and project work. I would be most interested in the “plays well with others” aspect that one gets in doing project work. A person who doesn’t play well with others would be of no use to me in our company’s team environment. So , I would be more concerned about a college that didn’t have some kind of project based course of study.</p>

<p>cnymom411, Community Service is not required for graduation, unless they have recently changed the curriculum. I could not say how it might impact admissions likihood. All colleges look at a number of criteria. There are two required projects, the Interactive Qualifying Project (IQP) and the Major Qualifying Project (MQP), described by another poster. </p>

<p>As with most things, student projects are what the student makes of them. Students can do many things to meet the project requirements and some will get more out of the experience than others, based on what they put into the project. Likewise, there are challenges and learning opportunities afforded while working in a group setting. Some group members contribute more than others, as I am sure we’ve all experienced.</p>

<p>Although some IQPs are done in conjunction with non-profit organizations or at international centers, many are not. Professors sponsor many IQPs and all work is done on campus. The distinguishing characteristic is that the IQP involves “applied research that connects science or technology with social issues and human needs”. There are many ways to fulfill that requirement. One student might address social or economic issues in South Africa. Another’s project could be producing a sound recording of one the WPI performances. It runs the gamut. </p>

<p>MQP is pretty wide open too. For the unmotivated, the challenge will probably be choosing a meaningful/interesting project, getting a faculty sponsor, and assembling a good team. All excellent life skills, in addition to the engineering/science/technology skills to be gained.</p>