Experiential Learning
CODES students take a set of core courses emphasizing transdisciplinary research and problem-solving methods together in their cohort. They meet each semester in research-team courses facilitated by their mentoring instructor and a community organization to address major social problems in our region such as food insecurity or the inequitable effects of climate change. Students take their education beyond the walls of the classroom and into the St. Louis region.
The research teams analyze, visualize and share their work with the broader public using data mining, mapping, storytelling, networking and cultural analytics. In this way, the pathway gives students firsthand experience applying twenty-first century skills including collaboration, systems thinking and innovative approaches to digital communication. In this community-based program, students learn the important skill of negotiating the civic responsibilities they bear toward others in both physical and digital spaces.
