Professional Skills Attainment in the Classroom: The Value of the Model UN

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Abstract

What is the role of Model United Nations (MUN) in facilitating professional skills attainment in the classroom? Using a MUN course with an enrollment of 35 students in Spring 2018, I gather quantitative and qualitative data on student progress in four levels of knowledge: factual (i.e. key elements students need to know to solve a given problem), conceptual (i.e. students’ understanding of the relationships between ideas), procedural (i.e. knowing how to do things), and metacognitive (i.e. students’ awareness of their own learning). I use pre- and post-activity surveys with both closed- and open-ended questions designed to capture the students’ initial levels of knowledge and eventually measure the progress they achieve throughout the semester. In addition to the surveys, I conduct one-on-one interviews with each student to gather additional (qualitative) data on their progress. The findings suggest that the MUN experience has a substantially positive impact on the students' factual, conceptual, and procedural knowledge as well as their self-perceived skills of negotiation, decision-making, public speaking, research, and teamwork when several factors (including the students' year, major, previous experience, academic success, interest in the topic) are controlled for. These results are also confirmed by the instructor's evaluation of student progress during the semester. The marginal impact on negotiation and decision-making skills seems to be more substantial than the rest.

Author

• Mert Kartal, St. Lawrence University