Creating Wicked Students: Designing Courses for a Complex World

In this review of Creating Wicked Students, Paul Hanstedt argues that higher education should ready students for real life by using classroom work to engage them with complex, evolving problems. The bottom line: this book is for faculty and curriculum designers who want a thoughtful, evidence-informed case for designing courses around what Hanstedt calls wicked problems. It is persuasive about why graduates should leave as deliberative, creative citizens rather than passive participants, and it offers concrete ideas for assignments and professional development that prepare students for unpredictable, real-world challenges.

Key Features

• Core argument: The book makes a sustained case that courses should present students with wicked problems, which helps develop adaptability and deliberative reasoning.
• Practical assignments: Hanstedt provides tangible assignment ideas that instructors can adapt for workshops and curriculum redesign.
• Curriculum focus: The text links course-level choices to larger curricular goals, making it useful for department-level planning and professional development.
• Scholarly grounding: The writing engages with educational theory, offering a rigorous rationale for changes in pedagogy that experienced faculty will respect.
• Audience-ready examples: The book offers examples aimed at both undergraduate courses and faculty development contexts, helping translate theory into practice.

Who It's For

Creating Wicked Students is aimed primarily at college instructors, program directors, and faculty developers seeking to redesign courses so students confront open-ended, complex challenges. Those running curriculum workshops or creating new assignment templates will find the book especially relevant and practical.

Instructors who prefer prescriptive, step-by-step lesson plans or texts focused solely on K-12 pedagogy may want to look elsewhere; this book assumes readers are familiar with higher education contexts and are comfortable adapting ideas rather than following scripted modules.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Well-argued case for using wicked problems to develop transferable student skills.
• Practical ideas for assignments that faculty reported using in professional development settings.
• Scholarly tone and references that make it suitable for experienced educators and curriculum planners.

Cons

• Not a plug-and-play manual; readers must adapt concepts to their local course structures.

Specifications

Title	Creating Wicked Students: Designing Courses for a Complex World
Author	Paul Hanstedt
Primary topic	Course design using wicked problems
Intended audience	College instructors, faculty developers, curriculum planners
Use cases	Professional development, curriculum workshops, course redesign
Approach	Scholarly rationale with practical assignment ideas

Our Verdict

Creating Wicked Students is a thoughtful, useful resource for faculty and program leaders who want to prepare students for complex, real-world challenges. Its blend of scholarly content and adaptable assignment ideas makes it good value for departments investing in curriculum change, though instructors seeking turnkey lesson plans may need supplementary materials.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who will benefit most from this book?
Faculty, program directors, and faculty developers focused on curriculum redesign and professional development will gain the most actionable ideas.

Does the book include ready-made lessons?
It offers practical assignment ideas and examples but expects instructors to adapt those ideas to their courses rather than follow exact lesson scripts.

Is this suitable for K-12 teachers?
The focus is on higher education contexts; K-12 educators might find concepts useful but may need to translate them for younger students.