From Code to Community: Weaving Real-World Non-Profit Projects into a Web Technologies Course

Talk Abstract: 

In this talk, I will share my experiences of transforming a typical group project that was done with a made-up client / topic into a collaboration between graduate students and local non-profit organizations in Rochester.  

Traditionally, students in the course (ISTE-646 Foundations of Web Technologies II) are tasked with developing a design document and a small website, complete with dynamic features such as web forms and database-driven content. However, recognizing the potential for real-world impact, I initiated an initiative to engage genuine clients, primarily from the Rochester non-profit sector. This strategic shift not only offered students a tangible connection to industry practices but also aimed to enhance the web presence of small organizations with very limited resources. 

The heart of this talk lies in sharing the successes, challenges, and lessons learned throughout this initiative. Although I don’t have an overwhelming amount of quantitative data, there will be some presented drawing from survey data collected from past students.  

Key topics of exploration include how clients were recruited, the level of instructor involvement in client interactions, the additional workload for the instructor, the varying success rates of each semester's projects, and practical tips for those considering similar initiatives. Furthermore, I invite participants to share their own experiences Join me in exploring the nuances of academia making a genuine impact on the community. 

Speaker Bio: 

John-Paul is an experienced IT professional and educator currently working as a visiting lecturer at RIT's School of Information. He has taught a variety of topics to graduate and undergraduate students, including web development, programming, photography/video production, and database. With a background in higher education, John-Paul previously worked as an Information Technology Strategist for RIT's Enrollment Management Division, leading and developing projects such as The Loop (a social network for incoming RIT students) and FeedMasher (an web based aggregation system which powered the RIT homepage for over 4 years and was later made open source). He also founded a consulting firm, Bantam Creative, focused on CRM systems, e-commerce, and social networking. John-Paul is an advocate for open-source projects and regularly attends Open@RIT meetings. He has contributed to several open source projects himself, including Mozilla Popcorn.js, several Joomla (a web based content management system) extensions, and Feedmasher.org. As a teacher, he always prioritizes hands-on learning but also shares principles of human-centered computing and accessibility. In the past he has shared his knowledge of full stack development by hosting presentations / workshops with student groups like RIT’s Women In Computing and The National Society for Black Engineers. In the classroom, John-Paul has worked with Rochester area non-profit organizations as part of team projects to address their technology needs. This gave students the opportunity to gain real-world experience working with small organizations devoted to a good cause that students can get behind. John-Paul also serves as the web/technology coordinator for the Rochester Chapter of The American Statistical Association.