Story by Scott Berson

An environmental science student notices that there isn’t very much paper recycling on campus, so she works with her professor to organize a graded class project to come up with a real, implementable solution. A communications major creates a documentary series highlighting the specter of homelessness in Columbus and how students can help end it. An exercise science major works with his classmates and professor to install workout equipment at a local park and host workshops on how to use it. This is what the future of learning at Columbus State University could look like.

   You’ve probably seen the signs around campus advertising the hashtag “#wesolveit.” They’re posted at every entrance, on all the light posts, and even on the tables at the cafe. But what does it mean? The Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) is an initiative by CSU to rethink how learning and teaching is done. After almost two years of feedback and planning, the administration has realized that one of the most important things students need to experience in college is identifying and solving real-world problems.

   But this isn’t just going to be APA-style essays and proposals. Students will soon be able (and expected) to find real problems they care about, big or small, local or global, and work to solve them with their peers and professors as part of their coursework. If possible, the solutions that students come up with will be actually implemented to try to solve the problem. “What we are trying to do is change the campus culture. [Students] learn better by doing something, when you’re put in a real situation where you have to figure something out,” explained Dr. Mariko Izumi, Director of the QEP. “We are moving away from the standard lecture style into more hands on, experiential, community driven teaching.”

   Izumi says that faculty members are in the process of being trained on how to incorporate real-world problem solving into their curriculum, and she says that students need to tell those faculty members what types of problems they want to solve. That’s what the “#wesolveit” campaign is for. “It can range from something really local or personal all the way up to global issues, and that depends on the class and your interests,” she said. “We want to do things that are meaningful and challenging.”