2018 Conference

Individual Paper Presentation

Over the last three years, Westminster College has put into motion a tiny house living/learning experience.  The goal of the project was to develop a unique educational opportunity that integrates concepts of sustainability, simple living, environmental science/studies into students’ coursework and lifestyles.  The tiny house project has been a student-driven initiative, with students from a wide variety of majors involved in the planning and design, hands-on construction, and outreach associated with the tiny house.  A community collaboration, the tiny house project has brought together a wide variety of stakeholders, including the New Castle School of Trades, local and regional small businesses, alumni, and community members.  Students interacting with the stakeholders has been key to the development of soft skills learned as part of this project.  Additional student learning outcomes have arisen as a result of intentional linkage of the tiny house project to a wide range of courses, from business and communications to theatre and art.  This presentation will chronicle the project from idea conception to successful completion of the tiny house (with various roadblocks along the way), with an emphasis on how the interdisciplinary project has been integrated in a meaningful way into the liberal arts curriculum at Westminster College.