Historical London Through The Lens Of Technolgy: A Facilitative Learning Approach As Authentic Alternative For Teaching The History Of Technology

This paper describes a unique course developed by a multidisciplinary team of faculty from the College of Applied Science at the University of Cincinnati. The course provides an opportunity for Honors Program students to develop an appreciation for the strong inter-relationship between technology and society by exploring the history and developing technology of four structures in London: the Tower of London, St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Tube, and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. The course is grounded in the Problem Based Learning (PBL) pedagogy where students are divided into groups and become independent learners with faculty acting principally as guides or resources. The course culminated in the group visiting London for eight days.