2007 Romeo L. Moruzzi Young Faculty Award for Innovation in Undergraduate Education Recipient
Professor J. Robert Krueger
WPI is pleased to present the 2007 Moruzzi Young Faculty Award for Innovation in Undergraduate Education to Professor J. Robert Krueger of the Interdisciplinary and Global Studies Division.
Since assuming leadership of the Worcester Community Project Center in 2002, Professor Krueger has seen a need and opportunity to help students better meet the learning objectives of the Interactive Qualifying Project (IQP). While it is relatively easy for our students traveling overseas to recognize that their projects will take place in a different cultural context, it is often more difficult for students to identify and consider the societal and cultural issues in their own communities.
Professor Krueger has developed a series of carefully-designed activities to respond to this challenge. First, he introduced walking tours and conversations with community members into the preparation process for the Worcester projects, fostering a better understanding of the city, its people, and its context in history. Back in the classroom, he then uses coupled writing assignments to integrate these experiences into a critical thinking and writing curriculum. In designing these community-based activities Professor Krueger has drawn from the literature on principles of mature reasoning, to help students engage the social and cultural contexts that are necessary for effective argumentation and problem solving in their project work.
In no small part due to his sustained efforts, the Worcester Community Project Center is now attracting an increasing number of students. Furthermore, summer reviews by colleagues have shown significant improvements in the quality of IQPs completed in conjunction with the Center. Professor Krueger’s leadership has served to enrich the educational experiences of the students completing their projects at the Center, and also enhance WPI’s contributions to the Worcester community.
WPI is proud to recognize the creative, reflective teaching of Professor Rob Krueger and his lasting influence on the Worcester Community Project Center by presenting him with the 2007 Moruzzi Young Faculty Award for Innovation in Undergraduate Education.