MANKATO — Dan Winkels admits it. At first, he wasn’t sure what to make of the unusual assignment being doled out in his technical communication class at Minnesota State University.
“When he first mentioned it, it seemed like it would be one of those assignments you wouldn’t want to deal with,” Winkels says.
Eventually, however, Winkels came around. Learned a little something. Enjoyed it even.
Winkels and the other students in Lee Tesdell’s technical communication course took a step beyond the usual classroom fare this semester and literally got involved in the community.
The course’s official title is “Technical communication,” or English 271. It’s an introductory-level course to technical communication. It attracts some students who are majoring in English and some who are not.
In the class students learn to write instructions, proposals, Web site design, blogging, html and other forms of technical writing.
“You might call us the pragmatic side of the English Department,” Tesdell said.
The students spent part of the time in Tesdell’s class researching wind energy and preparing a report and proposal to Mankato city officials. On Monday, they attended a Mankato City Council work session where they presented their findings to city officials.
But the real story, Tesdell and his students say, was the learning involved.
Tesdell got involved in wind energy after seeing a flier on campus. Some students, the flier said, were trying to get a wind farm set up.
“I’m always looking for interesting projects for my students to work on,” Tesdell said. “I contacted the students.
And he actually suggested that working on a project for a wind farm for the whole city of Mankato might be more interesting.”
Tesdell says he thought about it over the winter break. He also talked to City Council Member and friend Charlie Hurd and to an assistant of Mankato City Manager Pat Hentges.
After getting all the input he needed, Tesdell decided researching the potential for Mankato to invest in wind energy would be a good — and practical — project for his students.
The students researched wind farms, cost of turbines, wind maps for Minnesota to see where the most wind, and the nuts of bolts of how such operations are set up and who runs and owns them.
“The purpose of proposal,” Tesdell said, “is to say wind is a viable, renewable energy source and here is some background info, here’s our research, here are three or four scenarios, here are your options if you’re interested in pursuing it.
Student Matt Welter says he, like Winkels, was a little unsure of the project at first.
“I was a little nervous,” he said. “It’s not really my forte. I’m a law enforcement and history major.”
His mind changed soon after getting into the meat of the project, and after realizing they’d be making actual proposals to an actual government body.
“I’m kind of excited. As the project management team, we’re the ones who will go talk to the council,” he said. “I think that will be most beneficial — sitting down with the City Council and presenting these ideas.”
Winkels said the fact that their results would be assessed by someone other than the instructor brought a sense of urgency to things.
“It makes you think better,” he said. “You make sure the work is accurate. You don’t just go through the motions.
“We’re learning to work collaboratively,” he said. “It’s definitely a teamwork environment.”
Apparently, the council seemed genuinely interested in their findings. Tesdell and his students, however, have already voted yea on the project.
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