Bringing Real World Experience to Students in the Classroom

2009 February 25
by Grace Boyle

I’m a big advocate for real-life experience and projects in the college classroom. I was lucky enough at Champlain College to do just that. This included projects like putting together a full PR Campaign for Vermont Teddy Bear or creating an internet marketing strategy and website for Sonoma Station Restaurant. Then presenting the project, to the executives or owners of the company at the end of the semester. This prepares students for work experience once they graduate, because ‘experience is knowledge.’ Stanford University is also paving the path for real-world classroom experience by allowing their students to design Internet applications in class which is actually earning them a monetary income through online sales.

A student, Vikram Oberoi is selling his “Site Saver” application for the iPhone priced at $1.99. This app was built in an elective computer CS193P science class. College Mogul who also covered this article notes this progressive business nature to the amount of resources available online today. “As more resources appear online, educators can start giving lessons to students in class via guided Internet exercises.”
From this specific CS193P class, 40 apps have emerged and several are available for purchase at the iPhone App Store on iTunes. Vikram created a website featuring these apps, which you can view here.

I can’t help but agree with College Mogul that, “with more industries finding success and growth online, teachers will be able to integrate class lessons with “real world” gain—and potentially capture student’s interests in classroom lectures. For example, in video classes, students can publish their videos to YouTube and let the world judge how much they want to see their film. Authors can test their appeal on blogs. Financial classes can take students through the process of investing with services like Ameritrade.”

Champlain College offers real world experience, not just in my Public Relations major–Broadcasting majors are allowed to host their own radio show in our studio or Criminal Justice majors have a required hands-on internship with the Vermont Medical Examiner’s office, local law enforcement or corrections agency. I hope to see more university’s and colleges adopting this technique. Instead of just teaching them how to fish, give them the fishing pole and let them wade into the water.

So what about you? Do you know any college’s adopting this strategy in the classroom? What about a class you took in college that prepared you for the real-world?

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from → Branding, Business, Career, Generation Y

  • http://akhila.wordpress.com Akhila

    Great post! At my university, the school of education and social policy (SESP) has a required internship quarter for all majors. Within the journalism school, all majors also have a required internship quarter with a newspaper somewhere in the world. The Communications school and the engineering school also have potential opportunities for co-ops and internships, I believe.

    There's also this great “Chicago Field Studies” program which places students in an internship in Chicago during the school year, in fields ranging from nonprofit to business to law.

    I think more schools should adopt this approach. The one thing I would criticize about my school is that for liberal arts majors, these internships are not mandatory. I'd argue that they really should be because even liberal arts majors need work experience.

  • http://www.smallhandsbigideas.blogspot.com Grace Boyle

    @Akhila I completely agree-required internships are very important. I was required to do at least one, but I actually ended up with five throughout College which led me to my job today and shot me ahead in the working world.

    The Chicago Field Studies program sounds interesting and I've heard of a few others like it. It makes sense to be interning and even taking a few less classes because it's so part of the education process (versus stuck reading a book about working, rather actually doing it)!

  • http://rubyku.com rubyku

    Sorry I'm so late to this but just wanted to add my 2 cents.

    At my school (University of Waterloo), most programs require undergraduate students to be in co-op so we need to do 4-6 internships on average. There's also a grad program in Master of Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology where students have to start their own businesses as the final project, or develop new business plans for real companies and present to CEOs. I myself have taken full advantage of the co-op program and can't say enough good things about it. I wouldn't be able to imagine myself leaving school not having any work experience prior to graduation – I'd be completely lost with no direction & mentors & network.

  • http://www.smallhandsbigideas.blogspot.com Grace Boyle

    @Rubyku Wow, Univ of Waterloo really sounds like they have it covered in a good way. I love hearing examples like this! Four to six internships on average will without a doubt, put you ahead of many. I know many colleges her in the US that are too large and don't require one, those students are often a little lost after graduation. Thanks for sharing :)

  • http://www.smallhandsbigideas.blogspot.com Grace Boyle

    @Rubyku Wow, Univ of Waterloo really sounds like they have it covered in a good way. I love hearing examples like this! Four to six internships on average will without a doubt, put you ahead of many. I know many colleges her in the US that are too large and don't require one, those students are often a little lost after graduation. Thanks for sharing :)

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