Research projects challenge students to connect with the future

November 22, 2006

Source: University of Windsor
http://www.uwindsor.ca/units/pac/newsrel.nsf/f8e26b1a592c9edb8525676a0048614a/5a34917beb508c2b8525722e006f2cdf!OpenDocument

Students in the University of Windsor’s first-year interdisciplinary course, Ways of Knowing, are completing a study of such city landmarks as the Ambassador Bridge and Windsor Arena. The course is designed to help students develop skills in research, critical thinking, and teamwork. They will present their view of Windsor 20 years on in a public exhibit of their final projects on Friday, November 24, from 9 to 11 a.m, in Assumption University’s Freed-Orman Conference Centre.

Sociology Professor Veronika Mogyorody said that students making the transition from high school to university benefit from the course’s emphasis on research, and it encourages them to discover sites in Windsor that connect them to the community.

"The process forces them to engage in research," Dr. Mogyorody said. "You have to know the past and the current in order to project into the future."

The students have produced group projects to present their ideas of what a chosen space in Windsor will look like in 20 years. The groups have tackled a variety of community landmarks including the Essex landfill, Windsor Arena and the Ambassador Bridge - a group favourite and the subject of several projects.

The course was designed by a team of faculty members and supported by senior students trained to act as mentors for the Ways of Knowing class. Drama Professor Tina Ruggirello says mentors are committed to the course’s emphasis on team work.

She added: "They all say that is the one essential element of the class - it is so crucial to success in later courses at university."
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