“The Architecture of Wickedness: Constructing Students Who Can Change the World”

By Edna Pressler

I (Edna Pressler) attended the Fall 2019 New England Faculty Development Consortium Conference held at Holy Cross. The keynote address was given by Paul Hanstedt, PhD, the John P. Fishwick Professor of English at Roanoke College and Director of The Roanoke College Teaching Collaborative. In “The Architecture of Wickedness: Constructing Students Who Can Change the World,” Dr. Hanstedt argued that course design needs to help learners not only engage with the well-defined and circumscribed content and skills, but also with the ill-defined and expansive challenges that arise in the domain. These problems are characterized by features such as constantly changing dynamics or parameters; incomplete or contradictory data; and resistance to resolution.

While these skills and attitudes would have been valuable at any point in history, they are absolutely critical in today’s world. As Dr. Hanstedt pointed out, learners don’t always go into the fields they study, or get the jobs they want, or stay in the fields or positions in which they start.

To prepare learners to change the world, we should craft assignments and activities (aligned to objectives) that invite learners to synthesize, make meaning, and draw conclusions, particularly in contexts of uncertainty.

Dr. Hanstedt provided many wonderful examples. In a biology course, learners were given the assignment to “Create an informational pamphlet on an emerging infectious disease, pitched to parents of small children. Include causative agent and vector, threat to local population, and possible measures to reduce risk.” In a poetry course, learners faced this challenge: “The medical school faculty is revising its curriculum. Provide a rationale for the inclusion of a literature course in this curriculum, citing and carefully analyzing three particular poems.” And in a nutrition course, learners grappled with the following task: “The government of New York State is developing a list of recommendations regarding the lifestyles of primary-school age children. Choose a particular region of the state and develop an appropriate menu for breakfast, providing a carefully researched rationale that takes into consideration BOTH nutritional and cultural factors.” Assignments such as these help to develop the skills that learners will need to succeed in a complex world. And they are so much more interesting for faculty members to grade!

For additional information about employing “wicked” course design, please see Dr. Handstedt’s (2018) “Creating Wicked Students: Designing Courses for a Complex World” published by Stylus Publishing, Inc., or listen to a recent recorded presentation on the same topic.