Students have different learning styles or learning preferences and there are many. In this paper we explore a number of learning styles across the sequence of four courses. The idea was to see if the authors were really inclusive of many assorted styles or preferences for learning. This sequence occurs in an honors college with which represents the best of the students in the University.

Project-based learning (PBL) pushes students to think in new ways and approach problems from multiple angles. This paper examines how a four-course sequence in the honors college at a Midwestern university in the United States uses PBL to challenge students and expand their approaches to learning. The sequence asks students to explore a country in the lower half of the economic pyramid and focus on a specific aspect of one of the 17 UNESCO Sustainable Development Goals. Over two semesters, they conduct individual research, refine their ideas, and develop a physical model to represent their findings. The process requires them to choose a topic that interests them and a goal they care about, ensuring that they are fully invested in their work.

The structure of the course is intentionally immersive. Students, faculty, and teaching assistants meet for six hours nearly every week in the first semester, sharing a meal and using the extended time for site visits, hands-on projects, and deeper discussion. The 2024–2025 iteration of the sequence includes approximately 50 assignments spanning seven distinct formats, allowing students to engage with material in diverse ways. This paper examines how these assignments connect to various learning styles or preferences and presents a structured comparison of their impact.

Students enter the course from a range of educational backgrounds, including public and private high schools as well as homeschooling. They also come from a variety of intended majors. Many have only experienced traditional assignment formats focused on reading, testing, and repetition. This course requires them to learn differently prompting AI, building models, cold calling, conducting interviews, creating videos, developing functional prototypes, making presentations, and sketching ideas. High-achieving students who are used to excelling in conventional academic settings often struggle at first. Some find hands-on construction difficult, others are uncomfortable with visual storytelling, and some hesitate to reach out to experts for panel discussions.

By guiding students through an iterative, structured process similar to the Stanford Model of Design Thinking, this sequence of classes helps them develop adaptable skills that extend beyond the classroom. Exposure to different learning styles or preferences, and problem-solving methods prepare them to tackle complex challenges in academic, professional, and real-world settings. Many discover ways of learning that are new to them beyond their smartphone and reading and testing. It is exciting to see a design students wrestle with an engineering problem, or an accounting student try to learn how to make a product functional with Arduino. For some the variety of learning challenges opens up new pathways to learn.

Keywords: Learning Styles, Learning Preferences, Project Based Learning, Sequence, Design Thinking.