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.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Karen N. King

Dr. Karen King is a graduate of the Urban and Public Affairs Program at University of Louisville (Kentucky), and has been a professor for 14 years. Currently, she is an associate professor of public administration at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Her research interests include nonprofit management, human resources management in public sector agencies, and teaching public administration for adult learners. She is active on many nonprofit boards in her community.

Cara M. Spicer

Cara Spicer, MPA, is the Grants and Communication Officer for the Legacy Foundation, a community foundation serving Lake County, Indiana. She is a graduate of the School for Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA) at Indiana University Northwest, and has served as an adjunct professor in the SPEA graduate program. Her professional background includes executive positions in the private and nonprofit sectors, as well as extensive involvement with voluntary organizations.