The following resource is compiled of models across the work-based learning continuum from communities throughout Illinois to offer high-quality experiences in IT. We hope school districts and their partners can utilize, repurpose, and apply these models to support the design and implementation of work-based learning experiences aligned to an IT pathway.
School districts have designed the following team-based challenges that are embedded in career-focused courses:
The Family Outreach Staff at Herrin CUSD 4 have difficulty communicating effectively with staff, families, students, and the broader community in virtual environments. These challenges hinder their ability to provide timely support, share resources, and foster connections. They require a solution that ensures transparent, consistent, and accessible communication while accommodating the diverse needs of their audience, including varying levels of technological literacy and access to devices or the Internet.
Authentic Problem Statement: How can Herrin CUSD 4 Family Outreach Staff improve virtual communication to support better students, families, staff, and the community? Students must design an innovative solution that addresses these challenges by exploring digital platforms, creating communication strategies, and ensuring equitable access to information and resources for all stakeholders.
Potential Context for the Challenge: Teams will research current virtual communication practices and barriers. They will design a comprehensive communication plan or create prototypes, such as family-friendly websites, mobile apps, or guides for using online tools. These solutions will include features for accessibility, multilingual options, and ease of use. Proposals will be presented to district stakeholders for review and implementation.
Approximate Team Size: Groups of 2-4 students.
Herrin CUSD 4 has identified a growing need to raise awareness about mental health among students, families, and staff.
Authentic Problem Statement: The district currently lacks a unified and accessible online platform to promote mental health resources, share important information, and engage the community in discussions about mental well-being.
Potential Context for the Challenge: Design and implement an online mental health awareness campaign that effectively reaches the target audience, provides reliable resources, and encourages open conversations about mental health. The campaign must be inclusive, engaging, and tailored to the needs of the Herrin CUSD 4 community.
Approximate Team Size: Groups of 1-2 students.
The company that you work for is experiencing problems with its Local Area Network (LAN). You have been asked to troubleshoot this problem as a team of two and resolve the network issues.
Cybersecurity students are members of a small team (2-3) of digital forensics technicians working on a heist in which a diamond was stolen from an auction warehouse. A suspect has been identified and is in custody. The suspect is caught with a USB flash drive. The students and their digital forensics team are tasked to recover files and other evidence on the suspect’s digital devices. The team needs to determine if the suspect committed the crime and, if so, how the heist was engineered. Were there accomplices, and where is the diamond currently located?
Authentic Problem: A local school district is preparing to modernize its classrooms to support innovative teaching strategies that require digital collaboration and resource sharing. However, the classrooms lack a functional local area network (LAN) to connect computers and devices.
As a team of network design specialists, how might you approach designing and implementing a scalable and efficient classroom LAN that meets the needs of both teachers and students, ensuring reliable communication and resource sharing. Consider the unique needs of different students and teachers, potential challenges, and how your design could adapt as technology evolves.
Approximate Team Size: 3 to 4 students
Career Pathway Technical Competencies Assessed:
Cross-Sector Essential Employability Competencies Assessed:
List of Potential Final Solution Products:
Adult Mentor(s)/Industry Partner(s):
Approximate Team Size: No more than three students.
Career Pathway Technical Competencies Assessed:Students will start out with diagnosing the working and nonworking components of a Chromebook with district-level technicians, as it is being swapped out due to the end of it’s lifecycle. The working parts are harvested out of the machine to be used in making repairs on future damaged machines. Students will build their skills to the point where they can troubleshoot and repair current machines.
The partner is a department within the same school district, so communication is quick, and action happens just as quickly. A team member is in contact weekly, if not daily, in case of changes or needs to the program based on what student performance is looking like, as well as changes to the needs of the Technology Department. This can include the scope of the work changing and going from Chromebook repairs to service tickets in the classroom. We switched from repairs on new machines to repairing older machines for backups during standardized testing as well. The work for students is still indicative of what the workplace would look like, and skill sets are focusing on communications and equipment usage.
Equipment Safety and Communication – Verbal, Written, and Digital competencies will all be assessed as students learn to communicate with the tech staff as they work through the issues of staffing a help desk. Students are working directly with tech staff. Communication is happening daily regarding performance. Student work is logged into a spreadsheet for accountability and documentation of days and hours worked. As students become more comfortable with the work at hand, the monitoring becomes less overt. Tech staff is still in the room but not as close in proximity to the students.
Community Example: North Grand High School Code Nation Internship: The Code Nation internship utilized local partnerships with technology companies to teach students basic coding skills. Resources include an internship description and a sample jQuery project.
The district hires students as IT Department interns. One example is the Hardware/Help Desk, which provides assistance to the Infrastructure Department. Assignments can be with User Support, Network, Telecommunication, Assets, and Data Operations. Duties will revolve around technical support and projects of the Department. Duties include computer/technology receiving, prep, cleaning, movement, and setup. View the promotional internship flyer.
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