To support the projects, class sessions are designed to be interactive and connect to key issues for all projects. Every Wednesday, teams submit a WedUp—a simple, consistently formatted status update that enables project progress while documenting work steps to support learning. On Fridays, team assignments are due. Most are brief and all are designed to support project work. In April, students complete an assignment that distills their learning in the field to share lessons learned with others.
Below is a list of the major assignments, categorized by type, and their respective due dates. For a detailed breakdown of tasks and action items ordered chronologically, see the Deliverables and Action Steps page.
Individual Work and Contributions (20% of grade)
- Professional development plan (PDF) (end of Week 1)
- One-paragraph reflection in class
- One-paragraph reflection in student survey
Host, course team, and teammates assessment of participation and contributions to meetings, formal sessions, informal work, and all other personal contributions modify overall course performance assessment and could result in a final grade difference. Class attendance is tracked.
Project Foundation Management Toolkit (30% of grade)
Your team’s toolkit work is conducted throughout the semester via the following elements, all designed to support your project.
- Weekly WedUps
- Four to six mentor meetings, including some worksheets and checklists
- Organizational profile (PDF) (end of Week 1)
- Work plan draft (PDF) (end of Week 2)
- Country briefing (PDF) (end of Week 4)
- Executive summary (PDF) (end of Week 10)
- Student survey about team, project, host, and self (beginning of Week 13)
- Poster (end of Week 13)
Host Portfolio (30% of grade)
Pre-trip
- Finalized work plan (end of Week 3)
- Annotated bibliography of practical value to host (end of Week 5, presented to host on-site)
- Interim study (end of Week 6, presented to host on-site)
To learn about the motivations behind the work plan, bibliography, and interim study, refer to Dr. Sastry’s insights regarding Pre-trip Deliverables.
On-site Work
- Full portfolio of all onsite work (end of Week 9)
Wrap-up to Complete Project for Host
- Final host deliverable, planned in concert with mentor (end of Week 12)
- Thank you letter to host (PDF) (end of Week 12)
Sloan Portfolio (20% of grade; SIP credit)
The Sloan portfolio (PDF) is designed in part to meet the MIT Sloan Innovation Period (SIP) requirements and will be completed in pairs. You must select your plan by the end of Week 2, and complete the assignment by the end of Week 11. The aim is to distill your experience and insights to tell a story about your project in a compelling way that gets you, and others, excited. Within each team, select one visual option and one written option.
Visual
- Photo journal with detailed captions (12 photographs, each with an extensive caption)
- Video that presents the project, the solution, the host, and the setting
Written
- Blog journal of 5–7 posts that tell a story over the course of your project
- Standalone management module that takes something you did and presents it to a general audience (e.g., a how to guide; or a checklist with detailed explanations)
- Initial draft of a case
To learn about the motivations behind the Sloan portfolio, refer to Dr. Sastry’s insights regarding Post-trip Work.
