The Lawrence College and Career Center, 2910 Haskell Ave.

Project-based learning is one of the main advantages of courses touted by district officials at the Lawrence College and Career Center. But that model — and the freedom that comes with it — was also one of the center’s main challenges in its first semester of operation.

“We sort of jumped in on some of our projects, without spending enough time in the goal-setting and planning time,” said Patrick Kelly, director of career and technical education for the Lawrence school district.

This month concluded the first semester for the 33,000-square-foot center, which includes labs, workshops and open study spaces for student use. The approximately $7.2 million center, at 2910 Haskell Ave., was completed over the summer with funds from the $92.5 million bond issue approved by Lawrence voters in 2013.

Courses at the LCCC are available tuition-free to Lawrence high school juniors and seniors. Topics cover seven areas: Health & Emergency Care, Innovation & Engineering, Law & Government, Bio & Forensic Science, Manufacturing & Robotics, Computer & Network Technology, and HVAC & Construction.

Kelly said moving from a system in which students are graded mostly on daily work to one where they are evaluated on long-term projects or portfolios was an adjustment for both students and teachers.

“It’s different than saying, ‘Hey, everybody, you’re going to read chapter four for today, and then we’ll all talk about it,'” he said. “It’s, ‘OK, you’re working on a project that’s going to take three weeks to complete. Don’t waste time on day one so that on day 20 you’re not going to meet your goal.”

Last semester, 140 students from Lawrence and Free State high schools and Lawrence Virtual School were enrolled in LCCC courses. Students enrolled at LCCC have double periods, and Kelly explained that gives them more time to work on projects but also requires that they be self-motivated and disciplined. Next semester, the center will be using daily goal-setting worksheets to plan and evaluate progress at the beginning and end of each class, to help students better stay on track, Kelly said.

“It seems like a lot of our high school students are used to somebody else setting those goals for them,” he said. “The fact that they may have to set them for themselves — and hold themselves accountable for that — and that that is part of an action plan toward a larger goal is a tough skill to learn, even as an adult.”

The mission of the LCCC is to develop skills for in-demand and high-paying jobs by offering tuition-free classes worth college credit, with instruction from business and industry professionals. Kelly said partnerships with community colleges for dual or side-by-side credit have been positive for students. Next semester, the center will expand the side-by-side model, in which students alternate day-to-day between a high school and college course.

“We really like that model for students to dip their toe in the water for a college course and still have that high school teacher there to help support their work in it,” he said.

The LCCC is partnered with the adjacent Dwayne Peaslee Technical Training Center, which offers courses from several area colleges. Peaslee Tech also has industrial courses, such as carpentry, welding and manufacturing, and houses the Lawrence Workforce Center.

Kelly said an additional change will address another challenge the center has faced: scheduling courses for students from multiple schools, and making sure they end up with the required time in school and credits to graduate. Next semester, the center will move from a four-day schedule to a five-day schedule, he said.

Kelly said about 100 different business and industry professionals visited students at the center last semester, but the most effective ones functioned more like mentors than guest speakers. Going forward, Kelly said, the center would like to establish more mentors to assist students with projects or just answer their questions about the field they are interested in.

Such adjustments are to be expected when opening a new facility, Kelly said. What did surprise him were the projects — from furniture to landscaping, robotics to voter registration campaigns — the students were capable of with the freedom they were given.

“I’m constantly surprised by students’ creativity and students’ ability to do fantastic work,” he said. “It’s great to see the student projects and what they’re working on, to see how excited they get about this type of learning.”