31.12.2014 Views

JOURNAL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS EDUCATION - naspaa

JOURNAL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS EDUCATION - naspaa

JOURNAL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS EDUCATION - naspaa

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

Badgers & Hoosiers:<br />

An Interstate Collaborative<br />

Learning Experience Connecting<br />

MPA Students in Wisconsin and Indiana<br />

Karen N. King<br />

University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh<br />

Cara M. Spicer<br />

Legacy Foundation<br />

ABSTRACT<br />

Collaborative learning projects are a widely used instructional strategy in Master’s<br />

of Public Administration (MPA) classes, because participating in them leads to<br />

increased student learning and helps students develop the ability to work in selfdirected<br />

teams. In this article, researchers report on three collaborative learning<br />

projects involving students of graduate-level, public administration programs in<br />

Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and in Gary, Indiana. They describe the projects, assess<br />

students’ responses to them, and offer recommendations for instructors who<br />

might be interested in implementing similar activities across programs, state lines,<br />

or national borders. The authors found that the projects served as a critical bridge<br />

to course concepts by broadening their students’ perspectives on the study and<br />

practice of public administration, and by challenging them to reflect on their own<br />

activities and behaviors in a theoretical context.<br />

INTRODUCTION<br />

Collaborative learning projects are a widely used instructional strategy in<br />

Master’s of Public Administration (MPA) classes. They increase learning across the<br />

MPA curriculum, and enhance students’ abilities to work in self-directed teams<br />

because, as Schumaker (2005) observes, “the ability to work successfully with<br />

others is one of the most important interpersonal skills that one can develop” (p.<br />

22).<br />

Collaborative learning projects typically involve a group of students within a<br />

given class working jointly on projects that had been defined by the instructor.<br />

JPAE 15(3): 349–360 Journal of Public Affairs Education 349

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!