Misunderstood

A response to the Misunderstood Activity
created by Olaoluwa Umukoro (@Elsie)

Number of views: 145

As a college instructor teaching the capstone project in a business analysis program, I have encountered a common challenge among my final-year students. At the outset of the course, many students feel overwhelmed by the complexity of the syllabus and the expectations placed upon them. This sense of being daunted often hinders their ability to effectively collaborate within their teams, especially when it comes to the critical task of identifying and solving organizational problems using either agile or waterfall methodology.

Initially, I adopted a hands-on approach, assisting students in choosing companies and identifying potential problems they could address. However, I quickly realized that this method fostered an unhealthy dependency. Students frequently requested my direct involvement in their group discussions, relying on my guidance for even the most basic tasks. Recognizing that this was not conducive to developing the independent problem-solving skills essential for their future careers, I decided to revamp my teaching strategy.

My revised approach focused on empowering students to think critically, creatively, and analytically. I started by setting clear expectations for each class, outlining the objectives and how they tie into the overall goal of the project. I then engaged with the groups, not to provide solutions, but to discuss the tasks at hand. These discussions served as a platform to evaluate their understanding and guide them toward areas requiring further research.

An essential component of my strategy was consistently reminding students of the bigger picture: the objective to devise solutions that could enhance a company’s revenue, its ethical compliance, and increase its goodwill and customer base, etc.  I emphasized the importance of data-backed problem statements, urging them to anchor their arguments in solid evidence. By framing each task as a foundational step towards their final goal, I encouraged them to view their project as a cohesive whole rather than isolated assignments.

This approach required students to take ownership of their learning and problem-solving process. It was heartening to observe their progression. The quality of their assignments, feedback, and status reports reflected a remarkable improvement in their analytical abilities and confidence in handling complex tasks. This experience reaffirmed my belief in the potential of students to rise to challenges when provided with the right balance of guidance and independence.