Benjamin Goldfeder was caught off guard when the faculty member teaching his spring semester economics course assigned the class a project for the upcoming Wicked Festival.
鈥淚nitially, I was surprised that an economics class would include a project like this, but I quickly came to appreciate the relevance,鈥� the sophomore information science and systems major said.
The Wicked Festival is a biannual event that provides students with an opportunity to delve into some of the world鈥檚 most complex and persistent issues, or wicked problems.
The Wicked project process commences at the beginning of each semester. Students pick a topic and work in groups for several weeks to conduct research, which could be anything from finding sources in publications to talking with community leaders. They then typically write papers, give in-class presentations and design a poster to concisely present their work at the festival.
The Wicked Festival began in the fall of 2021 as a collaboration between 福利导在线观看鈥檚 Department of Political Science and Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies.
The course Goldfeder was enrolled in, Economics 340, introduces students to fundamental concepts, theories and practices related to international economics and business decision-making. It provides students with an overview of the current global economy, business environment, challenges and opportunities.
Jennifer Elias, the ECON 340 instructor, saw the course as a perfect opportunity for students to dive into the wicked problems often involved in doing business.
"The Wicked Festival lets me bring together several key learning goals into one assignment, with the added bonus of a final event that students actually enjoy,鈥� explained Elias, a faculty member in Radford鈥檚 Department of Economics.
Elias began assigning the Wicked Festival to her students a couple of years ago with several goals in mind. One was to help students develop essential communication skills.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e not just submitting a paper; they鈥檙e presenting their ideas visually and verbally to a broader audience,鈥� Elias explained. 鈥淧ublic speaking might not be central to everyone鈥檚 career, but being able to explain your thinking clearly and confidently is universally valuable. And even if practice doesn鈥檛 make perfect, it definitely makes it easier.鈥�
Participating in Wicked pushed Goldfeder to 鈥渢hink critically and present solutions to modern-day challenges in a meaningful way,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hese are skills that will serve me well beyond college.鈥�
Elias wanted to use the Wicked Festival, too, as a means to give students more freedom and autonomy than a traditional classroom setting.
鈥淚n the past, I鈥檝e used structured debates for this class, but the Wicked format encourages students to explore topics they care about and take ownership of their learning,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 often find myself learning alongside them.鈥�
Goldfeder鈥檚 project focused on energy supply and artificial intelligence. 鈥淎s the demand for advanced AI technology increases, so does the need for a stable and effective energy supply,鈥� he said, describing the wicked problem project that earned him the festival鈥檚 top award in the Impactful Solution category.
He was appreciative that Elias allowed him the 鈥渃reative freedom,鈥� he said, 鈥渢o take ownership of my own learning based on my own interests.鈥�
Taking ownership pushes students to fully 鈥済rapple with complexity,鈥� Elias noted. 鈥淚 want them to think not just about what should happen in theory but what鈥檚 possible in practice. That means asking tough, practical questions like: Where is that funding coming from? Would the government really pass that law? Why isn鈥檛 this happening already? Wouldn鈥檛 that harm other stakeholders? Are people unaware 鈥� or do they just not care?鈥�
Ultimately, Elias said, the Wicked Festival helps students learn to navigate the real world of trade-offs, uncertainty and compromise.
鈥淚f they leave with a better sense of how to approach messy, multidimensional problems,鈥� she said, 鈥淚 consider that a success.鈥�
Goldfeder agreed.
鈥淟ooking back, I absolutely consider this project a huge success,鈥� the Memphis, Tennessee, native said. 鈥淚t not only enriched my learning in ECON 340 but also gave me experience I can speak to in interviews and future opportunities.鈥�
Elias, Goldfeder said, took several steps to support every student鈥檚 success in the class and Wicked project.
鈥淪he provided clear guidance at each stage, offered constructive feedback and created a classroom environment that encouraged experimentation,鈥� he explained. 鈥淪he emphasized that success didn鈥檛 mean having a perfect solution, but rather engaging with the complexity of the problem thoughtfully and creatively.鈥�