Abstract:

The constant, unpredictable environments of our time challenge higher education to empower the future workforce to solve complex problems during uncertainty. This poses new pedagogical and learning issues. Preparedness for uncertainty necessitates designs that expose students to challenging authentic learning situations which may cause discomfort, stress, and fear of failure. However, there is little knowledge on how teachers can create pedagogically adequate environments. The aim of this paper is to contribute to better insight into teaching and learning designs that may facilitate learning through uncertainty.

A basis assumption in this paper is that learning to acknowledge the inherent nature of complex real-world problems is necessary to cope with unforeseen and unpredictable conditions. In this article we examine learning lessons related to the use of metaphors for uncertainty. The study is part of a research project aimed at exploring how metaphors may help students confront and navigate uncertainty.

Our methodological approach is a case study of a training design run as part of an interdisciplinary master’s degree course at a Norwegian university. In this course, teams of students from diverse study programs learn teamwork skills by solving real-world problems for civic and working life. The training design is based on the idea of using The Foggy Field as a metaphor for uncertainty related to complex real-world problems. To get a better understanding of student experiences, we collected data through qualitative questionaries, a focus group interview, talks with student teams, and narratives from student team reports.

A previous study revealed that students associate The Foggy Field with unfamiliar, uncomfortable uncertainty in the start-up phase. It also showed that students initially experienced The Foggy Field as a directionless period, relating the discomfort to impatience and attempt to force progress. The findings of the current study, which presents data collected in the end of the course, indicate a significant shift in students’ perception. In essence, “Don’t Hurry, Don’t Worry, Be Happy” is their advice to new students on how to deal with uncertainty. Students’ advice maintains the recognition of uncertainty triggering discomfort and the feeling of not getting ahead. The Don’t Hurry – advice suggests that students, with hindsight, have come to acknowledge The Foggy Field as a valuable investment of time offering better outcomes in the long run. Furthermore, the Don’t Worry, Be Happy - advice reflects the understanding of uncertainty as a normal, temporary state. It encourages students to withstand discomfort and have faith in that everything will work out in the end.

We conclude that The Foggy Field appears as a useful metaphor for helping students acknowledge the inherent uncertain nature of complex real-world problems. As such, our study may contribute to better insight into how metaphors may be usefully applied in teaching and learning environments for uncertainty. Moreover, by providing better insight into how students perceive uncertainty at different stages of the learning journey, the study may also help teachers create adequate teaching and learning designs that empower students to deal with uncertainties inherent in complex real-world situations.

Keywords:

Uncertainty, higher education, teaching and learning, real-world problems, metaphors.