In order for a student in computer science, data science or applied AI fields to stand out above the average college graduate, they need realistic project experience, like developing software, systems, processes and workflows with industry-standard tools.
Many of these tools are free for students. The challenge is finding the time and persevering through the learning curve.
That’s where David Cochran, dean of Newman’s School of Business & Technology, comes in. He led the charge to create project-based learning experiences that solve those problems all at once. Students work together in teams under the direction of a project manager, gain hands-on experience with industry-standard tools and learn to navigate inevitable challenges because they are held accountable for their class grade.
“When it’s all said and done, they will have a great portfolio piece — typically online in Github — and they will be able to tell the stories that their employers want to hear: How they tackled a real-world challenge, how they worked with others in the process, how they solved the inevitable problems that arise in any project and how they emerged with something to show for it,” Cochran said.
Inviting students in
The first pilot group of students met twice weekly this past year: once for a planning meeting, and a second time to share their progress and receive feedback. This schedule kept them coordinated and supported as they worked through obstacles.
“I expected that my more technically inclined students would love the experience,” Cochran shared. “I was pleasantly surprised to find that the less technically inclined students responded extremely well to the opportunity.”
They rose to the occasion and expressed a great deal of satisfaction in the growth they experienced once they overcame the initial challenges.
“All of us who work in these fields know what it’s like to push through the challenges and reach success after serious struggle,” Cochran said. “It feels great. And these students got to experience that, some of them for the first time.”
Implementing project-based learning
One of the challenges the pilot group tackled was a system that combined multiple online calendars and room reservation systems into a single unified calendar. To accomplish this, they first enriched some of the original data sources and then worked together to unify them into a single data warehouse with a unified schema.
“This is the kind of work that crosses software engineering, data science and AI orchestration, and it’s highly relevant to many real-world scenarios they will encounter in the future,” Cochran said.
Another benefit of project-based learning is that traditional coursework alone has limitations. Each course has a very specific focus and ends after eight or 16 weeks. Real projects, however, bring together multiple technologies, systems and processes, and continue over time.
The effort was so successful with the pilot group that Cochran plans to expand. Beginning fall 2026, the School of Business & Technology will offer an experiential project-based course every semester for all graduate and undergraduate students in the school.
Eventually, Cochran anticipates soliciting projects from area businesses and spending a month or a semester developing solutions that contribute to the growth and success of businesses and industries in the region.
This initiative positions students to graduate with both the technical skills and real-world experience that employers increasingly demand.
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The School of Business & Technology is committed to developing technologically equipped, future-ready professionals who exhibit intelligence, insight and transformational leadership.
