Rebecca J. Hogue

Real or made-up

Last updated on August 30th, 2019 at 08:01 am

I teach a couple of project based courses (actually three now). Students who are working typically use projects from their work – which is encouraged as it gives them real-world applicability. However, students who are not in a position to use a work-related topic are forced to choose something that isn’t real world – something they make up based on other experiences – I usually encourage them to pick something that is hobby oriented.

I am wondering, however, if I should look to my network for ideas for potential projects. That is, I could ask people in my network if they had a project my students could work on. I’m sure I could find a few people willing to let an instructional designer take a stab at 3-weeks of online course content or a multimedia project. I could, but should I?

I’ve been debating this. It would give my students a chance to do something that is real-world, but would also possibly add a layer or coordination – and my courses are already considered a heavy workload. That being said, they could get valuable real-world experience and connect with people.

Then there is the whole work for free issue. This is something that is a special challenge. I don’t like the idea of taking away paid work because my students work for free – but also I don’t like that my students work for free either. I’d kind of like them to get a small stipend or something for their time. That being said, they need to build something – so they would be doing it anyways, and they would gain valuable work experience in the process.

What are your thoughts on bringing in real-world projects for students to work on as part of the course? I could do it, but should I?

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4 responses

  1. Annemarie Avatar
    Annemarie

    Rebecca I think that a real-world project would be a fantastic option in instructional design courses! But as an option for students who may not have an applicable project that they can work on in their own “real world.” As a student I have experienced both situations – in some courses I’ve been fortunate to blend work/school projects which is a very exciting win-win, but I’ve also been in courses where I would have welcomed an outside project. Creating something that may be used would be more motivating than a project that gets filed away when the course ends. Thanks for getting the idea out there!

    Reply
  2. Angie Shertzer Avatar
    Angie Shertzer

    Rebecca,
    I agree that these type of projects are gold for students and ideally will be included at various points in the ID degree program. I wonder if there are some possible compromises that could give students the real-life experience while limiting your time coordinating the work. Could you give students a simulated client? Or give everyone in the class the same project for a real client? Or have everyone in the class work on a piece of a larger real project? Could your students join the Designers for Learning group (https://designersforlearning.org/) for one of their sprints?
    Angie

    Reply
    1. Rebecca Avatar
      Rebecca

      Angie,
      Interesting that you mention the Designers For Learning organization. I just heard about them and have reached out to them for some options. I also have a lot of other connections – so might be able to find some other options. I do think they could provide an great opportunity if we can figure out how to make the timing align.
      Cheers,
      Rebecca

      Reply
  3. Donna Stanton Avatar
    Donna Stanton

    Hi Rebecca,
    Valuable real-world experience and network connections are like gold to someone like me — taking my experience as educator and curriculum developer and applying skills to INDSG. Thank you for proposing this idea!
    Donna Stanton

    Reply

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