Writing Tool

When talking about talented and motivated students, they also show different perspectives on their own learning path and biography. They show a high openness connected to curiosity, originality and creativity.⁶ Additionally, they show higher self-concepts ⁷.

These qualities can be visible during class, but note that some students enrolled in Honors can be more introverted ⁸ and so they might not be spotted. Giving them the opportunity to hand in a written assignment about personal development can be an opportunity.

Those questions can be about reflecting on your own learning biography and the academic path you went on, but also can be about the future. There are already questions on the assignment sheet, which can be used or added with your own suggestions.

Students enrolled in Honors show a higher interaction with their department, teachers and outside university ¹ ² ⁹. Often the engagement in co-curricular activities cannot be perceived inside classroom activities. Giving talented students the opportunity to write an assignment around questions of how to use their talent for society can help to spot those active students.

This occurs especially when they are “heavily encouraged to take part in experiential learning through internships, studying abroad, leadership roles, and faulty-directed research” ¹⁰.

The questions on the assignment sheet can also be connected or expanded regarding special research questions inside your own department or class.

Both Europe and the world are changing rapidly and are facing issues which need to be addressed. But there are no easy answers to these great dilemmas, and we need talented and creative people, willing to change the world for the better. Every problem can be approached from multiple angles, and thus different perceptions on how to address problems can lead to a vast array of unique solutions.

A dilemma describes a situation when suggested decisions do not lead to a desired result. Dilemmas often are perceived as a paradox and, normally, there is no right or wrong decision, as both of the opportunities do have negative effects. In regards to this social policy, Rittel & Webber already pointed out the difficulties of answering social problems in 1973:

“The search for scientific bases for confronting problems of social policy is bound to fail, because of the nature of these problems. They are “wicked” problems, whereas science has developed to deal with “tame” problems. Policy problems cannot be definitively described. Moreover, in a pluralistic society there is nothing like the undisputable public good; there is no objective definition of equity; policies that respond to social problems cannot be meaningfully correct or false; and it makes no sense to talk about “optimal solutions” to social problems unless severe qualifications are imposed first. Even worse, there are no “solutions” in the sense of definitive and objective answers.”⁴

Furthermore, they point out that decisions made cannot easily be reversed, as “every attempt to reverse a decision or to correct for the undesired consequences poses another set of wicked problems, which are in turn subject to the same dilemmas. ⁵

Spotting talented students who show a great desire to learn and who can wrap themselves around wicked problems can be difficult. Handing in a written assignment based on a dilemma can help find those talented students. You can find some suggestions for dilemmas on the assignment sheet, but surely there are some questions around your own scientific topic which can be transported into a likewise dilemma.

Let yourself be inspired on creating an own field-based dilemma by watching the video below this box.