I’ve been taking a look at some of the qualitative data to come out of the Great Expectations project from 2019/20. It’s given me an interesting insight into student decision-making and wanted to share some of my findings. (more…)
Our Approach
We encourage students to see themselves individually and collectively as capable and skilled individuals with a wealth of relevant and interesting personal knowledge and experience that they can bring to bear on any project. We provide scaffolded learning experiences and working processes to allow students to pursue their own curiosities about the world, conducting background and empirical research to answer their own questions and to build their own awareness and knowledge of the world. We invite students to engage their whole being in their work and to think beyond their identities as junior disciplinarians. We ask them to consider individuals, communities and nations with empathy and respect and to try to see the world from the perspectives of others – whether they be marginalized individuals, leaders, campaigners or world leaders. Finally we want our students to have the confidence, self awareness and reflexivity to work independently, to network and communicate with others and to pursue their passions in the world. The Live, Love, Learn approach draws together a range of theoretical perspectives and pedigogical tools, but at its heart focuses on three core elements.
Live
Prior learning, individual and collective experiences are valued as a foundation for knowledge and understanding of our shared, lived world.
Love
Empathic engagement with others critically anchors learning to the real, messy, intricate needs of individuals and communities around the world.
Learn
Pursuing challenging, active learning is vital to create independent, critical thinkers who approach complexity with confidence and self-awareness.
Our Context
The Live, Love, Learn approach to learning and teaching has been developed at Imperial College, within the Change Maker field of Imperial Horizons. This cross-faculty suite of modules allows students to integrate study of topics and subjects outside of their discipline into their degree. The Change Maker field of Imperial Horizons offers a range of module options that challenge students to learn and work in diverse and often new ways in their approach to global issues and the wider world.
Change Maker Teaching
Our Live, Love, Learn approach, which is used in all Change Maker (formerly called Global Challenges) modules, has won international prizes and recognition. The approach involves responsive, partnership curricula that involve students as masters of their own learning. The courses develop higher order working and thinking skills that have been recognized as valuable in their home departments and the industry setting.