Authored by: Aubrey Pawlikowski Students map creativity into final projects In the world of academia, final exams are often the stuff of nightmares. But for students in Dr. Tripp Lowe’s "Spatial Analysis of Natural Resources" course at Warnell, the last hurdle of the semester is anything but mundane. Instead of bubbling in multiple-choice answers or slogging through term papers, these students trade textbooks for creativity, crafting videos that update and modernize an old educational video about Global Positioning Systems (GPS). The assignment, born in Spring 2021, combines the technical with the theatrical. Students explain concepts like GPS trilateration while weaving in fresh facts and illustrating the practical relevance of GPS in managing natural resources. Oh, and there’s a twist: 40% of their grade hinges on entertainment value. “I always tell my students to find something enjoyable in each class,” says their professor, who swapped the traditional exam for this video project. “I like to think this is one of those moments.” Students Abigail Suarez and Dani Corbin in a scene from their "Little Lost Tree" project video. And enjoyable it is—both to make and to watch. Over the years, the submissions have ranged from a wizard lost in the woods, lamenting his lack of GPS, to a Rocky Horror Picture Show parody featuring Janet, Brad, and some hilariously misplaced coordinates. Some recent crowd-pleasers include “A Video About Nothing” in spring 2023 by students Sam Williamson and James Turpin, and “Little Lost Tree,” a woodland saga by spring 2024 students Abigail Suarez and Dani Corbin. But these videos aren’t all fun and games—they’re grounded in serious academic effort. Students dig into research to fix the outdated information, solving problems with modern GPS technology and presenting their findings in a way that makes sense to their audience. Along the way, they’re encouraged to rope in roommates, friends, and even family. (Parents, take note: your college-aged kid might finally ask you to be in a school project.) What surprises Dr. Lowe the most is the creativity students unleash when they’re allowed to stray from the beaten path. “When students realize their task is to report what they know instead of repeating what they’ve heard, they do wonderful things,” he shared. Whether it’s a comedy of errors in the woods or a Broadway-worthy production, these videos prove that learning doesn’t have to be dull. Who knew GPS could be this much fun? View the GPS video projects playlist.
