similar attitude toward the program, Jameson said.
“This seems really necessary, it seems relevant, this seems extremely timely for our students,” she said. “Let’s get involved, let’s play in the sandbox, let’s figure this out, and we’ll cross bridges as we come to them.”
The Commons intends to measure the program’s success using learning outcomes and goals set by the participating students. Corporate partners and mentors have been tasked with providing feedback and reviewing student progress.
The idea is “so that we can actually see, you know, in detail, are they engaging, or after the weekend, do the students just completely drop off?” Hostad said. “Those are things we want to know so that we can make sure that there’s that level of engagement and that progress is still happening, and that it’s not just a weekend event, that this is a long-term commitment that the students are making to this project.”
For its part, Jameson said, Concordia is looking to The Commons to help hone its students’ career paths.
“We want our graduates to leave with a very clear sense of their vocation and their calling and what it is they’re supposed to be doing,” she said. “We want to hear that an experience like this helped reinforce that end for them. That would be valuable for us.”
For Jones, the work on ASAPkids will continue, but the weekend itself provided considerable value for her project.
“I met with people who are investors, who are telling me, ‘Keep me posted,’ who are giving me good advice to help take me to that next level,” she said. “I probably got like $10,000 worth of consulting for free.”