TU/e innovation Space CBL Toolkit

T-shaped professionals

How might we (re)design this course/project so that students develop as T-shaped professionals? In this workshop, you will brainstorm ways to educate students to become problem-solvers with a deep understanding and expertise in a specific area and the ability to apply a broader view. By the end of your course/project, they possess various skills and perspectives that enable them to adapt to new situations and tackle complex, real-world challenges.  

Duration

60-90 min.

Materials

For live session: post-its, pens, printouts of worksheets. For online session: Miro template, charged laptop, internet.

People

2-6 people, 1 facilitator.

Preparation

It is recommended to have a basic understanding of constructive alignment prior to using this workshop. Learning objectives and assessment should be pre-defined.

Follow the steps of this workshop, to go from brainstorming on the topic of T-shaped professionals, to prioritising and developing an action plan for the (re)design of your course/project.

The first activity of the method is called T-shaped Professional worksheet. Below you can find the instructions to use this worksheet for yourself:

Instructions:

  1. Read the “How Might We… Question” in the yellow post-it.
  2. Brainstorm on the vertical blocks “Depth of expertise”: what expertise do the students develop in depth? Match each expertise with a learning goal.
  3. After, brainstorm on the horizontal block “Breath of expertise”: what other types of expertise could the students develop through your course? Match each expertise with a learning goal.
  4. Move to the “Content Depth” brainstorm: which kind of content can enable the students to achieve the learning goals indicated?
  5. Move to the “Content Breath” brainstorm: which kind of content can enable the students to achieve the learning goals indicated?

    Now that you have created a chart containing all the global themes that could possibly relate to your course, it is time to prioritise using this 3×3 prioritization template. 

    Instructions:

    1. Analyse all the ideas you identified in the previous activity from an Impact perspective (how much will this idea contribute to make students T-shaped?) and Implementability (how easy it is to implement this idea in my course?) and stick them in the corresponding quadrant of the 3×3 template.
    2. Use the symbols that you find on the canvas to characterise your ideas: is it something that you wish to implement in your course? Or not at all? Is it something that is already somewhat implemented but could be strengthened? Or is it something that could be implemented, but you are currently not?

    Now that you have a clearer overview of which ideas have more potential than others to be implemented, it is time to create an action plan!

    Instructions:

    1. Focus on the ideas (that you haven’t marked with “Don’t want to implement”) in the outlined quadrants of the 3×3 template. Which steps do I/we need to take in order to implement this in my/our course? Break down the steps in the blue timeline on the canvas.
    2. What people, skills, facilities, materials are needed in order to make this happen? Reflect and note it down in the corresponding sections, named “Resources needed”.

    At this point, you have a complete overview of which ideas you can integrate in your course and a step-by-step how to guide. Well done!

    Resources and downloads

    You can access the PDF worksheet canvases through the download button: they are ready for print.

    Hey, this Chiara, Education Designer at TU/e innovation Space. How can I help you?

    This toolkit is meant to be constantly evolving and improving. Do you have any questions or feedback to make this better? Or do you need help with the toolkit? Get in touch!