Objectives, History, & Result of DHP Projects

Objectives of the DHP

It has become commonplace to hear critics of higher education complain that “while transformational changes have occurred in the world of work […] it is remarkable that the methods utilized to prepare students to enter it have remained static” (Chan & Derry, 2013, p. 2). According to the critics, the didactic methods of the teacher-centric traditional learning model encourage passivity and fail to prepare contemporary students for the creative and often collaborative work environments of today (Roberts, 2016, pp. 3–6). Others assert that classroom focused learning models ineffectively link “learning” with “living,” leaving students unaware of their role as participants in society, nor able to appreciate how their skills can impact the world (Huber & Hutchings, 2004). While these claims are debatable, a good deal of evidence supports at least some of the reformers’ points (Ambrose, Bridges, DiPietro, Lovett, & Norman, 2010; Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 2000; Pelligrino & Hilton, 2012).

The traditional undergraduate history seminar in which students pursue individual research and writing projects is vulnerable to the reformers’ criticisms (Harkavy & Donovan, 2005). For these reason members of the Department of History at the University of Dayton, tried something new. We utilized experiential learning (EL) techniques, an approach that might briefly be defined as learning through reflection on doing. (Wurdinger & Carlson, 2010). Our plan was to have the students directly engaged in solving an historical problem, but on a scale that necessitates collaboration between them and external partners. We wanted to be focused on an issue of immediate public concern. And it was our hope that whatever work they completed would constitute a practical intervention. The sites would allow the students to become directly involved in better the community in which they lived. They could do this by creating a cultural resource for people, an educational tool to teach new generations of Daytonians about the cities history, and illustrate to others how knowledge is produced through the methods of historical research.

History of the DHP

In 2018 one of the professors in the department, David Darrow, suggested we have the students in our capstone seminar explore the history of the Dayton Arena on the occasion of its’ 50th anniversary and extensive remodeling project. He and Dr. James Todd Uhlman planned the course. They applied for Experiential Learning Grant from the university. The money allowed them to extend the project into the summer. During this period Dr. Uhlman evolved the idea into what is now the DHP.  This original two courses sought to uncover the events that led to the building of the Arena in the late 1960s. In the process, a key objective was to link the history of the Arena to wider events taking place in Dayton and across the nation. Two classes of University of Dayton students conducted research, created finding aids for the UD Archive, and built a website. Some of the students conducted video interviews and wrote individual essays which became part of the website.

The second project undertaken by the DHP involved researching, writing, and building a website about the Dayton Arcade, a shopping center opened in the city’s downtown in 1904. In the 1990s the Arcade had closed and fallen into disrepair. The abandon complex, located at the center of a once thriving commercial district, became a sad symbol of the city’s declining fortunes. In 2014 efforts to salvage the Arcade began to gain traction and in 2018 a $100 million dollar plan to refurbish it became part of ongoing campaign to revitalize downtown Dayton. Having seen the website dedicated to the Arena, developers and civic partners connected to the renovation project asked the UD Department of History to undertake a similar class devoted to the Arcade. Two classes of students worked on this project. They researched both the general history of the Arcade and wrote more focused essays on special topics related to it. They conducted and recorded oral history interviews and built a website.

Results: Assessing the DHP’s Effectiveness

Students in the DHP classes have largely concluded that the courses successfully achieved the three learning outcomes. That is, to give the students an applied, real-world understanding of historical work; develop the students’ capacity to solve problems faced when conducting a collaborative, multi-task, and integrative research project; and foster in them a purposeful sense of vocation and community action.

According to Doug, one of the students, in the Arcade course the class proved to be a “vastly different history course when compared to [others] I have taken at the University of Dayton.” For Madeline, another student who worked on that project, it was “one of the most engaged learning experiences that I have had as a history major.” It “pushed me outside of my comfort zone in all the best possible ways,” said Stacy. “Compared to my other history courses, this capstone required me to be more hands on and consider the different mediums in which one can learn or transmit history.” “While I have enjoyed many of my other history classes, this one stands out as a challenging experience with a large benefit,” concluded Madeline. It also developed highly transferable skills. “I think this course was a good measure for how we will do in the working world,” stated Dennis.

There was some complaining amongst [sic] my classmates that the class lacked structure, but truthfully, I like it. There were not incredibly strict limitations put on us, leaving room for the individuals to make major decisions for the project and be more creative. I believe the worked that we did is going to inform those in our community about the importance of the Arcade and how it is a pillar of our city.

For those more interested in history as a profession, the DHP course opened up new possibilities that they hadn’t imagined. “It taught me that history can be approached and done in so many ways,” observed Stacy. “From archival research, to oral history, or digital history, there are many avenues in history for students to thrive … that do not always require the traditional essay writing that many students are accustomed to.”

Comments reveal this heightened appreciation was linked to an enlarged recognition of purposefulness, and in a way that confirms the value of the pedagogy of place and experiential learning more generally. The project, Sam noted, connected “[me] to the greater Dayton community which had previously been neglected in my studies [because, living on campus, it] is easy to ignore at UD.” “Dayton has a rich and complex history,” he continued, “which I now value much more as a result of this project.” Asked what he would tell students about this class if he had the chance, Kirk responded:

The most important thing… that I have learned in my experience is to remember the larger impact your work can have. This will invoke an enthusiasm that will help guide you past the most difficult experiences in the class. If one can truly understand that this is for more than just a good grade but rather a chance at being a good citizen in their community, I believe it will inspire them as it did me.

Although it was not the intent of the DHP, for some students the DHP seminar led them to reflect on pedogeological problems that had formed the reason why we had undertaken the project in the first place. Some of the students believed the class pointed to deficiencies in their education. Given the value he and others saw in building the website, Denis wondered why he had not been asked to do this before. He observed that “the internet is going to become a large source of information every single day and it is important that we use it.” “The task of working on a website is undervalued at UD,” observed Jack more directly. In sum, both believed the way history was taught needed to change in order for the profession to stay relevant. As Tristan bluntly concluded: “Times are changing, and History majors need to change with it. We don’t learn enough technology here at UD.” Another student who was entering local government after completing the DHP course and graduating from UD, believed “it should be important for the history profession to stay up to date with social media platforms and dissemination of information. The nature of this course framework does a good job of putting students in that up-to-date environment.”

For another student who was going to graduate school after graduating to study history, the DHP course awakened a different set of concerns. The project made him think more explicitly about the future of the profession. The nuts and bolts of making the project work “made me aware of how important it is to convince others of the value of historical work—in order to secure necessary funding. I believe this balance between knowledge for itself, and tangible benefits for an intended audience is the most important lesson that I learned from this seminar.”

Thus far I have come away from the courses with four conclusions regarding the value of the DHP projects for the students engaged in them. First, working on a shared experiential project involving the raw materials historians encounter in the field, revealed history majors were ill prepared by classroom experiences focused or preselected primary documents, to the challenge of identifying within large archives the sources needed to answer their research questions. Moreover, their lack of direct experience in archives ill prepared them to engage in the creative process necessary to find evidence in the absence of the most obvious types of sources. Second, using the EL methods encouraged the students to be more self-reliant and engaged with their peers. As a result, they felt hat they had a more authentic learning experience. Third, using EL methods not only developed the skills expected of the traditional seminar, but did so in manner better suited to the needs of many students who will not become historians. Finally, responses to the course by students and the public, suggest the use of EL methods might better serve the major by highlighting the advantages of the historical enterprise.

Assessment Methodology:

I utilized student responses from a post-course reflection assignment to determine how well we achieved our aims. The students were asked questions such as: How did the class compare to others? What skills did they develop, if any? What were its advantages and disadvantages? What was the value, if any, of working on a website? What did the course teach them about being an historian? How did the project impact their thoughts on the social significance of the historical profession and personal responsibility? What advice would they give future students of the course? The student names have been changed to protect confidentiality.