Learning Resources, Teaching and Proctoring Tools
26 Experiential Learning Project (ELP): Before, During, and After
Review the instructor’s tasks in the below to manage and lead your students successfully towards completion of this project.
Before Your Course Begins
- Contact the Experiential Learning Coordinator (ELC) to arrange for a Riipen orientation (if you are new to Riipen or would like a refresher).
- Validate or Revise your ELP assignment in the Riipen Portal once you’ve received an email notification that your course assignment has been copied over for the term. Make sure to edit milestone dates.
- At least six weeks before the start date of the course, begin your search for suitable industry partners. Industry partners should be finalized and visible to students on the Riipen site before your class begins. There are three (3) ways to secure projects:
- Receive project proposals from companies registered in the Riipen Marketplace.
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- Review prospective industry partner(s) submission(s).
- Set up a screening call with prospective industry partner(s) to confirm they are a “good fit”, that they will be available for the duration of the project, and that they are aware of both the instructor and client roles in the project.
- Approve/decline industry partner(s) after screening call. This MUST be completed within 21 days of the industry partner(s) submission(s).
- Please note that once 3 requests have expired, your course will automatically close. You will no longer be able to send or receive requests until you manually re-open it.
- Search the Riipen Marketplace and send Requests via the Riipen portal to companies that look like they might be a good fit for your course. Set up a screening call(s) to responding companies to discuss/negotiate terms of the project.
- Use the Riipen School Pass option whereby you engage with a company from your own network, agree to work together with your students on a project, and INVITE them to submit their project through the Riipen portal. Set up an orientation call to discuss/negotiate terms of the project.
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- Update the existing ELP assignment documents (Draft & Final assignment documents) in your course Term Shell, if needed. If rubrics are revised, they need to be revised in the Rubrics tool. If there are multiple client profiles, add them to the Group descriptions in A2L.
- Update the Group Self-Enrollment Expiry Date. Instructions can be found in chapter “Groups: Creating, Reviewing and Modifying Enrolment“
During Your Course
Live Session 1:
- Introduce the course, detailed course schedule, ELP and consulting process, upcoming deliverables (group self-enrollment, group contract and project plan). Note: modify the Experiential Learning Project Introduction PPT
Use this set of slides in your first live session. It includes the main points you should cover to introduce your course and the ELP. Note: You need to customize the content in these slides to your course and your ELP.
Experiential Learning Project Introduction PPT
To edit the PowerPoint, select Download on Dropbox (top left of the toolbar).
- Monitor group levels – there should be a maximum of 4-5 students per group. If needed, manually enroll/unenroll or shuffle students between groups
- Post the Course Assignment Link and Access Code using the Announcement tool
- Monitor and support group dynamics throughout the project.
- Monitor student communication in the Riipen Chat and/or Experiential Learning Group Discussion Forum (Avenue to Learn). Check in regularly to ensure that students are receiving the timely responses they need from the industry partner.
Live Session 2:
- Review upcoming ELP deliverables (e.g. Draft Report, Draft Website, etc.)
- Check in periodically with the industry partner(s) to ensure that the project is running smoothly.
Live Session 3:
- Schedule group conferences with student groups to provide feedback on their “Draft” deliverable.
- Schedule additional Live Sessions, if needed.
After Your Course
- Debrief with the industry partner(s)
- Request that industry partner(s) share general feedback regarding final deliverable and the overall experience. Share any general feedback with the whole class (remove any identifiers) via the Avenue to Learn Announcement tool.
- Request that the industry partner provide specific feedback on the deliverable to the student(s) through Riipen.
- Provide a brief summary via email to the PM and ELC indicating successes and challenges related to the ELP.
References
McMaster University Continuing Education. (2021a, September 8). What is Riipen?. YouTube. https://youtu.be/JIcDSGYOmwY