Experiential learning is a hallmark of a Northeastern education, and we’re delighted to offer students an expanding range of opportunities to apply what they’ve learned to real-world projects. In addition to the ‘traditional’ Northeastern co-op placement for full-time students, a new International field study course involving interdisciplinary teams, and a virtual ‘co-op at work’ experience, we will be offering a new course in the fall — an opportunity to engage in a short-term online consulting project with a sponsor in the private or nonprofit sectors.
Over the past few months, CPS has been piloting a non-credit version of what we’re calling the Experiential Network (XN). More than 100 master’s students from a range of disciplines have worked on short-term projects for scores of businesses and nonprofits. The results have been overwhelmingly positive, both for the students and the sponsoring organizations.
Sonja Pankow, a recent graduate of our program completed a project for a Boston-based marketing agency that helps corporate clients develop social media strategies. Her sponsor tasked her with producing a white paper overview of so-called’ micro-influencers,’ or non-celebrity specialists on particular topics whose expertise makes them ideal online brand ambassadors. “I learned a tremendous amount,” Sonja noted, “from the opportunity to produce a deliverable marketing piece for a real-world company. I was able to directly apply knowledge and skills I had learned in my Interactive Marketing Fundamentals and Intercultural Communications classes. It was also very useful to learn how to write in a non-academic style for a corporate audience. I think this experience will really enhance future professional prospects.” This is the kind of learning experience we want to replicate on a larger, credit-bearing scale!
In the fall, we will begin to offer the XN course as a 3 Quarter Hour elective. Students will apply to participate in the course, with requirements that include a B+ GPA and completion of our core required courses. They will develop a project plan, conduct research, develop and deliver recommendations to sponsoring organizations, and reflect on ‘lessons learned’ under the direction of an instructor in our program.
If your organization has a short-term communication-related project that could be completed during the fall 2016 term, please contact Carl Zangerl at c.zangerl @neu.edu. This is a wonderful opportunity, as well, for you to mentor one of our current students.
Posted by Carl Zangerl, Ph.D., Faculty