Think Tank
Full course description
Students will be assigned to writing and presenting a (policy) recommendation that is partly based on the knowledge and expertise they have developed as a result of their educational programme at UCV. Students will form a ‘think tank’ and write and present an extensive and elaborate (policy) recommendation for a client, i.e. a company or organization. A creative and critical analysis of the problem at hand will lead to the application of knowledge and skills acquired at UCV through previous course work, and new insights developed during the project.
The first week of ThinkTank will focus on a problem analysis and an analysis of the knowledge and expertise of the members of the think tank. The second week will focus on doing research. The third week will deal with discussing and formulating solutions. During the final week, students will present their report to an audience of experts and share their recommendations with the client.
Besides having meetings with their fellow students and a tutor, the group might meet with guest experts (either invited by the coordinators or by the students themselves) and undertake self-organized field trips and external visits to obtain the required information. Depending on their academic background and skills, students will divide the workload and take on specific roles within the ThinkTank.
Course objectives
- Let students work together and set up a problem analysis based on the assignment given by an external client, i.e. to develop skills concerning critical analysis, including the analysis of a problem, conceptualizing a problem as a case study (the ability to see the particular problem within a wider context), and to generate new knowledge relevant to the case at hand (Boyer’s ‘discovery’ and ‘integration’)
- Let students work together and do research based on the assignment that was given to them, i.e. to develop skills concerning organization of work, and collaboration in a team (not specifically related to Boyer, yet instrumental towards all four aspects at the level of collaborative learning);
- Let students write a report based on an assignment that was given to them, i.e. skills related to formulating finding and recommendations in a comprehensive yet concise manner (‘application’ and ‘teaching’)
- Let students present their report to the representative and a group of experts (‘teaching’).
Prerequisites
One of the following modules: VSK2001 Argumentation; VPR2002 Academic Debate; VSC1303 Introduction to Statistical Methods and Data Analysis (or VSC2305 Intermediate Statistical Methods and Data Analysis); VSC2204 Public Health Policy Making.
Recommendations: The project and the nature of the assignment require some experience in academia. Therefore students can only take the project in their fourth semester or later. This also allows students to do well and gain more from the project.
The coordinators would like to emphasize that Think Tank is a time-consuming project with a high workload, which requires highly motivated students. Students should have a broad interest in e.g. policy development and research and analysis. Due to the specific nature of the project and the fact that group work is an essential element, students should take into account that they need to be available during entire weekdays throughout the entire project.
Participating in Think Tank as part of the regular workload at UCV is doable but demanding. Therefore, having a higher workload due to e.g. additional or parallel projects is not allowed.
Recommended reading
Students search for their own literature depending on the demands of the assignment.
- M.T. Kiefer