Project-Based Learning for Graduate Students in Digital Humanities

Abstract

This essay reports on a five-year summer internship sponsored by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at New York University that sought to apply computer science pedagogy in project-based learning [PBL] to digital humanities training of graduate students from diverse humanities disciplines and programs. While much student training in the field tends to occur in academic courses or workshops devoted to particular tools and methods, this program used the iterative process of project development to design an inclusive, efficient context for graduate students with limited experience with technology to learn digital humanities skills appropriate to their professional and scholarly objectives. Describing the framework of PBL computer science pedagogy, the essay considers the technology learning objectives of a broad variety of projects undertaken by 50 MA and PhD students from disciplines ranging from English and History to Fine Arts and Linguistics. Emphasizing the role of peer-learning and cultural differences between STEM and humanities learning contexts, the essay draws on the program coordinators' teaching experience and student commentary to assess learning outcomes of a PBL approach for the professional and scholarly development of humanities graduate students.