Badgers & Hoosiers: An Interstate Collaborative Learning Experience Connecting MPA Students in Wisconsin and Indiana

Abstract

Collaborative learning projects are a widely used instructional strategy in Master’s of Public Administration (MPA) classes, because participating in them leads to increased student learning and helps students develop the ability to work in selfdirected teams. In this article, researchers report on three collaborative learning projects involving students of graduate-level, public administration programs in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and in Gary, Indiana. They describe the projects, assess students’ responses to them, and offer recommendations for instructors who might be interested in implementing similar activities across programs, state lines, or national borders. The authors found that the projects served as a critical bridge to course concepts by broadening their students’ perspectives on the study and practice of public administration, and by challenging them to reflect on their own activities and behaviors in a theoretical context.