Developing a project

Projects with companies and agencies are offered as practicums or internships.

Practicum

In a practicum, a student team studies a problem and completes a project during the semester, with guidance from faculty. The participating organization provides the data and a contact who can explain the work, answer questions and review progress.

A practicum runs for 10–12 weeks, with about 4–8 hours of the team's time each week. The organization's contact takes part in a kickoff meeting and weekly check-ins.

Internship

In an internship, a student works as part of the organization's team on an agreed project or set of responsibilities. The organization provides a supervisor, access to the information and systems needed for the work, and day-to-day direction and feedback. Faculty provide academic oversight.

Students work at least part time. Full-time internships during the summer or spring semester are preferred. The work schedule, dates and supervision are agreed before the internship begins.

Initial discussion

Organizations can start with a recurring difficulty, a planned improvement or an interest in using software and data analysis. Reports, records or a walkthrough of a task help explain the current work. Staff who carry out the task and people who would use the result help identify useful improvements.

Possible projects are developed through discussion with faculty. Each needs a practical result, such as a report that staff can update, an internal tool or an analysis for a particular decision.

Information and preparation

The available records, their contents and history, and permission to access them determine what the project can support. Software projects also require agreement on users, tasks and where the application will run.

Incomplete records or unavailable access may require preparation, collection or changes to the proposed work. Preparation can be a separate task, part of the project or work completed by the organization first. The organization and faculty agree on responsibilities and what needs to be ready. Development of a suitable project can continue over several meetings or academic terms.

Project review and agreement

Faculty review the proposed work for educational value, feasibility, timing and supervision, including whether it fits a practicum or internship. The organization and program agree on a written scope covering deliverables, assessment, responsibilities, schedule and costs.

Student assignments are confirmed when the scope and supervision arrangements are ready. During the project, regular reviews with the organization's contact cover progress and any changes to the agreed work.

Delivery

The final delivery includes the agreed result and documentation. Arrangements for continued use, maintenance or further development are included in the project scope.

Open the project inquiry formWhat a project proposal coversDownload project options (PDF)