Challenges Worksheet
Below are a few challenges that you might meet while developing and implementing your PALS
project. Some pre-planning will contribute to your success.
Timing: Students need to work together but cannot get together to meet. Arranging guest speakers is difficult
since classes meet at different times.
Solution:
Technology: Students default to social platforms such as Facebook, which exclude some students; Prefer
communicating outside the platform set up for them.
Solution:
Time: Student procrastination creates too much work to be completed at the end of the semester when other
classes also require much time.
Solution:
Burnout: By semester’s end, students feel overburdened with work on same project throughout semester.
Solution:
Teamwork Difficulties: Groups experience problems when a team member does not deliver acceptable
project pieces on time. A piece out of place could delay the entire class.
Solution:
Heavy Course Content: Some classes like Biology or Psychology are content based when compared to skills
based courses such as ITEC or English. How to incorporate PALS projects when students are already busy
with traditional content?
Solution:
Community Partner: Students aren’t volunteering the hours required for the community partner.
Solution:
Expertise: Faculty member is not an expert in aspects of project. How to teach students information the faculty
member is not comfortable with?
Solution:
Administration: My Dean/Chair does not support this type of interdisciplinary work; he feels that
interdisciplinary must be in the classroom.
Solution:
Events: We only have two classes working together, so a festival wouldn’t work for us. What other event can
showcase the work of our students and community partner?
Solution:
Activities: What sorts of assignments or activities are appropriate for these classes that incorporate the PALS
project? English, Math, Biology, Psychology, Sociology, Chemistry, ITEC, History
Solution:
Challenges
You may face some challenges when creating and implementing PALs, but you can turn
challenges into learning opportunities. We suggest supplying your faculty with a
challenges worksheet and asking them to brainstorm solutions appropriate to your campus.
You’ll find below some of the solutions we developed for GGC PALs.
Timing: Students need to work together but cannot get together to meet. Arranging guest speakers is difficult
since classes meet at different times.
Solution: Use web based platforms for student discourse among classes thereby allowing students to
work asynchronously and contribute within their own time schedules. Film guest speakers and provide
links to lectures for students to watch at other times. Have students record their presentations for
playback in other classes.
Technology: Students default to social platforms such as Facebook, which exclude some students; Prefer
communicating outside the platform set up for them.
Solution: Enforce college based platform such as a Blackboard site devoted to the
project. Require all students to use only one site/platform.
Time: Student procrastination creates too much work to be completed at the end of the semester when other
classes also require much time.
Solution: Front-load research and promotional deliverables. Design project so all heavy writing and
research is done no later than two weeks before event date.
Burnout: By semester’s end, students feel overburdened with work on same project throughout semester.
Solution: Involve more than two classes. Divide work so each class focuses on tight
areas of expertise/mastery but still coordinates with others to share info.
Teamwork Difficulties: Groups experience problems when a team member does not deliver acceptable
project pieces on time. A piece out of place could delay the entire class.
Solution: Set individual and team grades for each piece of work. Make assignments
such that one piece cannot unduly delay entire project.
Heavy Course Content: Some classes like Biology or Psychology are content based when compared to skills
based courses such as ITEC or English. How to incorporate PALS projects when students are already busy
with traditional content?
Solution: Make a PALs project only one or two component(s) of your class. Keep your class’
contribution a small piece of the whole. Many classes mean lighter work for each. Funnel all the pieces
into a skills based class that can put it all together as part of the course outcomes.
Community Partner: Students aren’t volunteering the hours required for the community partner.
Solution: State upfront on syllabi that a service learning component is required and make that
component part of students’ final grades.
Expertise: Faculty member is not an expert in aspects of project. How to teach students information the faculty
member is not comfortable with?
Solution: Request guest lecturers to supply the expertise. For example, ask staff from your
Department of Public Affairs or a marketing professor to speak to students about how they can
advertise an event on campus.
Administration: My Dean/Chair does not support this type of interdisciplinary work; he feels that
interdisciplinary must be in the classroom.
Solution: Involve your steering committee and allow the steering committee to get your VPAA on
board before proposing PALs projects. Submit PALs proposals to deans and chairs that make clear the
outcomes your project will meet and how they will be met.
Events: We only have two classes working together, so a festival wouldn’t work for us. What other event can
showcase the work of our students and community partner?
Solution: Integrate PALs presentations with school or college-wide festivals. Schedule a special
meeting during which students can present their work to your community organization. Invite VIPs from
the college.
Activities: What sorts of assignments or activities are appropriate for these classes that incorporate the PALS
project? English, Math, Biology, Psychology, Sociology, Chemistry, ITEC, History
Solution: English – Project proposals, memos, e-mails, presentations, etc. that draw on research
provided by other classes; Math – Data compilation and analysis; Biology – Content appropriate research
posters, lab reports, presentations, etc. that educate other classes about the issue at hand; Psychology –
Audience and issue analysis from a psychological perspective such as the role cognitive dissonance plays in
behaviors and how behavioral analysis can be used to change the way people act regarding an issue; etc…