So back to this Grant Project that I use for my HIST101 classes. My last post, “Sneaking Public History into General Education Classes” introduced this project, so have a look at that if you haven’t already.
Last fall I had 2 HIST101 classes of around 60 students total which provided a pretty great sample size for feedback on the project as a whole. I collected student feedback through reflective essays at the end of the semester. Rather than just telling you what I think about this project, here are some of the student thoughts and suggestions:
- I very much so enjoyed this project better than a research paper, I enjoyed it because it was more real life, we got to put together our own project and really look into the lives of people who actually do this.
- This grant project taught me a lot. I learned that there is a lot of information out there, however not all the information is right. I learned the importance of doing thorough research so that way you can provide the right information. I also learned that grant proposals are a process, so it was good that we spaced it out since the beginning of the semester.
This project allows us to express ourselves as students and hypothetical executives. I believe students will take more from this than they would an irritable final exam. Regarding the grant, my favorite part was putting together the presentation. I felt like a real life director of a real life protection group, it was cool.
- This project challenged my academic and creative skills, which would make this project more beneficial to my growth as a student.
- 3 things I have learned from the project as a whole come from different aspects of the project. One life lesson I learned, is to learn to give and take. Working with two other people, disagreements are inevitable. Learning to listen and add to someone’s ideas is good tactic for not just this project but future jobs too. Two things I learned about the actual criteria of this project, is that there are a lot of overlooked sites in the World that need restoration and protection, most likely because of the shortage of resources provided. Lastly, I learned to be even more grateful for the men and woman who serve in the United States army. I read a lot of primary journals of U.S. soldiers who risked their lives to protect the World’s history, and to me that is inspiring.
The biggest challenges for me as the instructor:
- Student procrastination and subsequent end of semester panic
- Lots of information to grade, especially with so many students
- Explaining cost-sharing and budgets in a history class
- Trying to fit in even more to a class that is supposed to cover European civilization from the Paleolithic to 1648CE. Which is especially hard for me since it’s basically impossible to recognize “Europe” as a place in a vacuum. [our new curriculum at CCU should make this easier, soon!!!]
If you’re interested in seeing the actual grant documents or assignment information, please feel free to contact me! Next up, other sneaky public history projects in general ed classes.
Katie Stringer Clary, PhD 