BT天堂

An important聽part聽of BT天堂鈥檚 pedagogical approach involves taking a career-centric view of assessment. Alongside written essays and traditional examinations, professors are encouraged to develop innovative assignments that combine academic rigor with professional skills聽development.听One example comes from聽Professor Oleg聽Kobtzeff, who聽teaches聽politics,聽geography and environmental聽studies.听He created a geographic magazine,聽Nature and Cultures, which聽encourages student contributions and is tied聽into聽the assessment process for聽several of his classes.听聽

Nature and Cultures聽has existed for several years聽as a website and has produced two聽full聽issues.听It covers topics related to both physical and human geography, as well as current events.听Alongside republished articles from third-party sources, the magazine encourages contributions from academics at all levels. Student contributors, who often submit edited versions of their classwork,聽have聽an聽extra聽incentive to publish聽their academic efforts聽in a journalistic context,聽as聽it聽allows them to聽experience the聽editing process聽firsthand.听

BT天堂鈥檚 diverse community is particularly well suited for a geographic magazine. 鈥淚 also want students to talk about themselves and where they are from,鈥� explains聽Kobtzeff. 鈥淭heir personal experiences in their own cultures.鈥� Recent contributions from students have included聽an article about聽, an ancient聽North Italian language, and another about the聽.听

During Spring semester 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic caused聽BT天堂聽to switch to remote learning,聽Kobtzeff聽saw an opportunity to revitalize聽Nature and Cultures聽by聽tying聽it more closely into assessment:聽鈥淚 had the idea that staying at home would be an opportunity to drop the traditional term papers聽and to聽come up with聽some innovative projects to relaunch聽the magazine.鈥澛燭he first of these initiatives聽is named the聽.听Students聽in聽Kobtzeff鈥檚聽Comparative Politics class聽began聽compiling聽a聽list of the聽democratic governments聽of the world聽in order to create a comparative database. Each student was given several countries to聽research and聽produced a聽write-up聽consisting of key聽political information such as the structure of the various branches of government,聽how legislators聽are聽elected, or which powers various legislators have聽a mandate to聽enact.听

鈥淭he outcome is that students come out of this completely familiar with primary sources on the structures of government,鈥� explains聽Kobtzeff.听Students conduct independent research, visiting official government websites聽to find the聽necessary information.听They聽are聽also聽encouraged to interview a diplomat or embassy official as part of the聽process and聽can also bring in secondary sources.听Kobtzeff聽sees the聽process聽continuing聽in subsequent years until every democratic country is represented聽in the database, completing a valuable resource for future students studying聽Comparative聽Politics.听

The second initiative ties聽into聽Kobtzeff鈥檚聽Waters of the Globe class. A new website,聽, was created聽to act as a resource base, online library and forum for students studying water systems.听Students populated the website with crowdsourced聽resources聽from across the internet. The聽website was聽developed聽by a student as his final聽class聽project.听Like聽Nature and Cultures, this new website hosts student contributions,聽in this case聽focused on 鈥渉ydropolitics,鈥澛爋r聽the geopolitics of aquatic environments.听One recent student contribution聽tackles聽the聽.听

Nature and Cultures聽adds聽to BT天堂鈥檚 already rich library of academic publications,聽while聽also providing聽an engaging, original form of聽class聽assessment that is well adapted to remote learning.听Kobtzeff聽hopes that renewed interest in the magazine聽will mean the imminent publication of a new issue.听The magazine is looking for contributions from students, faculty and third-party contributors 鈥撀�.听