When she co-lead a computer database project for one of her classes, Holly McLeod said the learning curve was high but she enjoyed producing a real product.
McLeod and other students in Roger Ferguson's winter semester information systems course logged more than 2,000 hours of work to create computer projects for nine nonprofit organizations in the area. For example, McLeod and five other students in her workgroup created a volunteer database for the Grand Rapids Community Media Center.
Meeting with the client and working on the database through the semester was difficult but worthwhile, McLeod said.
"We had done projects like that on a small scale before, as examples. But this was applying class knowledge to a real product," she said. "The learning curves were there because some people in the group hadn't worked with those types of programs. But we produced a real product." Chuck Peterson, executive director of GRTV and CMC, said the extensive database matches volunteers to CMC projects and details a volunteer's skills and interests.
"It also helped up develop our volunteer program because it suggests new people for a project," he said. "We had been using the same group of volunteers. Now we're able to expand our program."
This is the third year Ferguson's class has developed computer projects for area nonprofit organizations and Grand Valley departments. The class created a database for the Regional Math and Science Center last semester.
Ferguson, associate professor of computing and information systems, said word about the class has spread through the community. "I have no shortage of nonprofits interested in working with us," he said.
The students, he said, enjoy gaining work experience.
"This is as close as you can get to working as a consultant," Ferguson said. "The product they produce is real."
Photo: Students who created a database for GRTV are pictured with faculty members and their client. From left to right are Davis Scott, Russ Shearer, Tom Boruta, Holly McLeod, Paul Plotkowski, Judson Gabe, Roger Ferguson and Chuck Peterson / Photo courtesy of Roger Ferguson
