Why Story@Rose
Story is a tool that can allow students to make connections between their past, current, and potential future selves to develop their identities as engineers, mathematicians, and scientists. A student who may not otherwise view themselves as an engineer, mathematician, or scientist—a curious person, an entrepreneur, a researcher, or a member of the institution’s ecosystem—may be able to demonstrate their potential to themselves and others through their lived experiences via story. Providing time for students to develop and tell their stories is a powerful way to validate the vast experiences students bring with them to college and allow them to imagine and propel themselves into their futures.
To address this gap, story-driven learning—an innovative pedagogical approach that centers personal stories in the curriculum—is being introduced to the STEM college classroom due to its ability to increase students’ self-awareness, sense of satisfaction, and learning outcomes (Morgan et al. 2021 and Nezafati et al 2021). Inspired by the Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network (KEEN) on Stories project that began in 2020, our current efforts to bring story-driven learning to Rose-Hulman reflect our interest in supporting our students in finding their passions and identities as STEM professionals.
Why are stories important?
Stories allow students to reflect and find their identities, their reasons for studying their majors, and their plans for the future. By asking students to reflect and craft stories, we honor the rich, lived experiences they bring to our classrooms and research groups, and help them make connections between their past, current and future selves as STEM professionals.
Using story as a tool, we can help prepare you to know and own your chosen paths and be prepared for interviews for graduate school and industry. You are a compilation of your experiences, and they are the perfect source material for creating compelling stories. We all have stories to tell, and they are worth sharing!
Story@Rose is powered by the Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network (KEEN) and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology’s Office of Learning and Technology and Office of Communication and Marketing.
If you have feedback for the Story@Rose team or would like your story featured, please reach out to marincel@rose-hulman.edu.