TEACHING A SMU-X COURSE
The SMU-X curriculum combines academic with experiential learning, challenging students to use their disciplinary knowledge to tackle real world issues through inter-disciplinary approaches. Each course involves partners from corporate, non-profit or government-sector organizations in project design and content delivery, enabling partners and faculty to actively mentor students in the process. As such, the time and effort required of an SMU-X course instructor are significantly more than what are required in a typical regular course.
There are various ways SMU supports faculty and adjuncts teaching SMU-X courses.
Contact SMU-X to find out more.
To give faculty a better perspective of working with project champions while teaching SMU-X courses, the following highlights some of the key stages of project development to better prepare faculty for a meaningful experiential learning journey.
STAGE 1
Project Scoping
Projects used in SMU-X courses are meant to address authentic real-world issues prescribed by our project champions. It is important that such projects serve both the business objectives of the project champions and the learning objectives of the courses.
A project should
- not be too huge or too small for a team of students to complete within an academic term of 15 weeks
- have clear measureable success indicators
- have clear deliverables
A project that is well defined is likely to deliver positive experience for faculty, students and project champions. The SMU-X team can help identify potential project champions in consultation with faculty.
Should the faculty has intentions to use the project/data as part of their research studies, approval from the SMU's Institutional Review Board will be required.
Legal Requirement
Large organizations such as MNCs and Government agencies will only embark on projects through formal agreements established with SMU. Most project champions also require faculty and students to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) to protect their interests.
The SMU-X team works closely with Office of Legal and General Affairs (OLGA) to ensure correct and approved legal templates and NDAs are used to protect the interest of SMU, faculty and students. Whilst there are standard templates provide by SMU-X, some agreements require amendment at the request of the project champions. Any amendment requires approval from OLGA and takes time. Some agreements may also require signatories from senior management. When in doubt, faculty and students are advised not to sign any agreement with project champions. They should check with the SMU-X team immediately.
Project Data
Most SMU-X courses will require data from the project champions. In order for students to be productive, gain valuable insights and make quality recommendations in the projects, the data have to be verified by faculty to be useful. Before bringing a project champion on board, the SMU-X team will work with the faculty to verify the dataset and work with the project champion to make dataset available to students.
Dataset should
- have sufficient data points
- be available and accessible to students
Should the faculty has intentions to use the project/data as part of their research studies, approval from the SMU's Institutional Review Board will be required.
Timeline
Engaging project champions takes time. It is best to engage potential project champions at least three months before the start of the term which the course will be offered.
STAGE 2
Active Mentoring by a Project Champion
A project champion is required to interact with students at a minimum of three formal touch points. However, due to business needs, the project champion may not always be available during class time to mentor the students. Faculty often has to exercise flexibility in schedule or use of technology to accommodate the project champion. Where possible, faculty should lock down the dates with the project champion for client presentation, mid-term review and final project presentation.
Change in the Project Champion
The project champion from the partner organization plays a key role in driving the project objectives to the students. There were instances where a project champion moved to another organization or department. Faculty and students might have to re-calibrate to meet the expectations of the new project champion. In a worst case scenario, existing project might be aborted.
Project scoped with the help of the SMU-X team ensures that more than one project mentor is identified and listed in the Client Application Form. The project scope is also clearly defined and documented in the form. Such information will be useful and shared to the new project champion to allow the project to continue as planned.
Communication with a Project Champion
A project champion may have a preference on the mode (e.g. emails, google docs) and frequency (e.g. once a week, ad-hoc) of communication with the students. Some project champions are more active and responsive than others. Faculty and the SMU-X team can work together to establish the preferred mode and frequency with the project champion before the start of the project.
Preference of different organizations
- MNCs and Government agencies: Google docs or Onedrive
- SMEs: emails
STAGE 3
Full Implementation
Most SMU-X projects stop at the Proof of Concept (POC) or pitching of ideas/proposals to the project champions. Although some project champions requested for good proposals to be implemented by the students, students usually cannot commit outside their curriculum obligation. Project champions can offer internship to select students as part of project implementation. However, the final decision to undertake an internship with a project champion still rest with the student. A faculty might also be offered consultancy opportunities with a project champion to further the outcomes of the project or other work.
