Fred Allison at Alabama Polytechnic Institute (now Auburn University).

Who was Fred Allison? A man way ahead of his time and peers.

“Dr. Fred C. Allison (1882-1974) was a pioneering physicist whose controversial methods of scientific observation identified two chemicals of the periodic table: alabamine (now astatine) and virginium (now francium). Allison founded the physics department at what is now Auburn University where he taught and conducted research for 30 years.” Auburn Physics Department

So, what’s his story?

Dr. Allison developed a new way to discover elements in the periodic table. Yep, this was back when we didn’t know what they all were.

Time magazine has the story … well, they actually covered this way back in 1930 and 1932.

Time Magazine, 1930

Science: Alabamium

Of the 92 elements which the late great Russian Dmitri Ivanovitch Mendelèeff (1834-1907) predicates with his Periodic Law, 16 have been discovered since 1894.* Two remain to be isolated—eka-iodine and eka-cesium.† Last week Dr. Fred Allison and Edgar Jackson Murphy of Alabama Polytechnic Institute at Auburn, Ala., reported that they had “evidence of considerable weight for the presence” of eka-cesium in certain salts they had reduced from lepidolite, a form of mica, and pollucite, a mineral consisting chiefly of cesium, aluminum and silicon. When they break down their salts they will get a soft silvery-white metal which will look and react much as do the alkali metals lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium and cesium. When eka-cesium is isolated, then Messrs. Allison & Murphy will have the pleasant problem of naming it. The recent tendency for such names has been after places—hafnium (1922) for Hafnia (Copenhagen), masurium (1924) for the Masurian Lakes, rhenium (1924) for the Rhine, illinium (1926) for Illinois. Hence, for eka-cesium, alabamium is appropriate for the state in which the discoverers work.

Read more…

Initially, Allison wanted to name the element Alabamium. He later changed that to Alabamine.

What of the other element?

Time Magazine, 1932

Education: Alabamine & Virginium

With an air of “There, that will convince them,” Professor Fred Allison of Alabama Polytechnic Institute last week slapped on his desk a fresh copy of the American Chemical Society’s Journal. “Them,” referred to everyone who doubted that Professor Allison had discovered Element No. 87, or eka-cesium (now known as Francium). in 1930 and Element No. 85 (now known as Astatine), or eka-iodine last April (1932) by means of his new magneto-optical machine.

“Them” referred particularly to Professor Jacob Papish of Cornell, who last autumn recognized eka-cesium with the x-ray spectrograph. With an x-ray spectrograph Professor B. Smith Hopkins of the University of Illinois discovered the third last unknown element, No. 61, of the Periodic Table, which he named illinium (TIME, March 22, 1926).

Professor Allison, 50, asked scientists to call the element virginium. after the State of his birth. He asked them to call Element No. 85 —a halogen with fluorine, chlorine, bromine, and iodine—alabamine, after the State whose Polytechnic Institute at Auburn (physics department) he has headed for ten years.

Read more…

Alas, Allison was denied the reward of having his work cited as the discovery of these two elements. Eventually his worked gained respect, but the recognition had already been passed to another scientist. Allison was just way ahead of his peers. They chose to go with what was then the accepted method of discovery.

Allison easily fits the mold of this video. Don’t be afraid to try. Allison did and he actually didn’t fail. Those around him  failed to see what was obvious to Allison.  Do you have a vision?  Live it.

Reformed PR practitioner B. L. Ochman writes a review of the recent Council of PR firms (CPR) critical issues forum in her blog, What’s Next.

Read the Council’s take on the event in Dangers Equal Opportunity for Smart Marketers, PR Firms, Lively Annual Public Relations Council Critical Issues Forum Addresses “Most Dangerous Ideas” for Future of PR.

The conversation has actually already become an old one. The paradigm shift caused by the advent of social media software (both free open source and paid platforms) has given voice to the masses in a way never seen before. Word of mouth (WOM) is now digital and spreads like wildfire, or creeps along where no one can see it – then achieves a Groundswell of reach people in PR only dreamed of just 10 years ago. 

Look at PROpenMic, for example. In less than 7 months, we’ve brought together almost 2,700 students, faculty and practitioners from around the world. The site actually achieves greater traffic and participant involvement than sites funded by multi-million dollar corporations. Some call this smart mobs or the power of mass loyalty (by individuals) to an issue and they become loosely joined together in one Web site. Whatever it is called (buzzwords fly faster than sound these days) the reality is that Web sites can now challenge what some call traditional media: newspapers, TV stations & radio.

I look at most of these discussions from the standpoint of an educator. I’m curious what the students think about all these discussions. Education was briefly addressed in the video below. I don’t know if it came up much in the overall discussion described in the Council’s article above.

I’ve seen students leave school and become the teachers – quickly. I’ve seen students leave school and begin to challenge the old school thinking of their PR managers by standing up against blast email pitches, randomly choosing media entities in markets (rather than a targeted approach to individual journalists & bloggers) and the other old school practices so dominant just one or two decades ago.

Change truly can began at the bottom and lead to even more radical shifts in practice. We’re seeing that today with the influx of savvy students essentially having a better take on the consumer’s WOM landscape than their bosses.

Read the two posts above and watch this video. Students, this could make for an interesting blog part on your part. Tell us what you think about the changes being presented to you today. Do you feel you’re going to be ready for this new landscape? Is your ‘emerging digital experiential education’ giving you some level of confidence, or is it still too early to tell?

We don’t get enough of this feedback from students. Oh, we might not want to hear some of the things you have to say … but, I do know that we need to hear them. Tell us what you think. We’re trying to help you. I’d love to see more students posting to their blogs here in PROpenMic and/or elsewhere online.

Do you have a “dangerous idea” just waiting to be expressed? We can learn from you, too.

A great man passed away on September 25, 2008. Tommy Goff.

I could say, he was my high school band director. But, that really doesn’t even begin to tell the story.

His passing has caused me to do something I don’t normally do. In fact, the last time I’ve done this was when my father passed away a year ago last July. Before that, it was my brother’s passing in June of 1982. I cried. I’ve actually found tears coming a couple of times. He changed my life. I miss Tommy Goff. My brother Bill called the other day. He was in the band, too. I could tell by his voice that the passing of Mr. Goff is a very emotional event. I understand.

This is a man who really has no equal in music education. A member of the Alabama Music Hall of Fame right alongside people like W. C. Handy and Nat King Cole. Seriously. Tommy Goff is their equal.

Oh, he never achieved mass national and international fame, sure. But, he is – in the lives of the students he took care of, nurtured, encouraged – a giant. His presence still looms large. We find ourselves thinking of him as we go through life. His bands always excelled. There is no equal in winners of superior rankings at state contetests, to be sure. And, that wasn’t just his bands, but his individual players, too. Tommy Goff made winners. The winning didn’t stop in high school, either. So many of his students have gone on to great achievements. They so often point back to Tommy Goff. Cool, isn’t it.

Mary Belk recently wrote about Tommy Goff. Mary is Tommy’s sister-in-law, sister to Jane, Tommy’s wonderful wife. Mary was actually my babysitter when I was a kid. She joined me for dinner recently as we took my mother out for her birthday. Mary was one of Tommy’s first students.

Jennifer Ryan even shared that her father went to school with Tommy Goff. See? It is a small world. From Twitter, “JenniferRyan: @rdfrench Talked to my Dad about Tommy Goff. He recounted a story about when they went on a double date together.”

I shared the following in the guest book at the Opelika-Auburn News. Look at all the other comments. You can tell. This man was such a strong influence in so many people’s lives.

There is a wonderful recounting of Mr. Goff’s life at The Caring Bridge and you’ll also be able to read many more memories from former students in their guest book, too. Just type in “tommygoff” where it says “Visit a CaringBridge website” in the little box that says ” – Enter Website Name – “. Click the “My Story”, “Guestbook” and “Journal” links to see more wonderful memories.

Mr. Goff influenced so many people, changed so many lives and always in a positive way. All of us fortunate enough to have been a student of his at Auburn High School have been forever changed for the better.

He pushed us and he pulled us … always toward a positive goal. The music, the friendships, the memories and so much more were all made possible by his leadership.

For me, being in Tommy Goff’s band was a life changing experience for which I will always be grateful. I’ve thought of him often since high school, and I’ll never forget him.

This is a man who, like Jane (his recently departed wife), will live on in many people and their children … their children’s children, and on. They both had that much positive impact on people’s lives.

Tommy Goff was, is and always will be a true giant.

Here is Tommy King Goff’s obituary from the O-A News.

Below is a recording of just one song from one of his band’s. This is Emperata Overture. A fitting selection as it sounds like the celebration that was Mr. Goff’s life. Hard to believe we played that over 30 years ago. It seems like yesterday. At times, I wish it was. Such were the wonderful fun times in Tommy Goff’s band. Funny, he actually made being a band geek cool. Truer than you may know. Find more music at the Auburn High bands Web site.

Here’s an excerpt from the Auburn High Bands page. It reflects the truly remarkable record that Mr. Goff, for the most part, made happen for thousands of students over the years.

The Auburn High School Band has made a name for itself over the past 68 years, amassing an overall all-judges concert record of 340-4-0-0-0 in winning literally hundreds of state and national competitions. The Bands have placed nearly 800 students in All-State Bands, members have received over 1000 first division solo and ensemble ratings in the past decade alone, and members have performed with national honor bands five out of the past eight years. Besides being one of only 49 bands worldwide to have ever received the Sudler Flag, the Band is one of only 64 listed on the Historic Roll of Honor of Distinguished High School Concert Bands in America, as a concert band of “historical importance and influence to the nation’s high school concert band programs.”

You remember Mr. Holland’s Opus? So many of us, when we saw that movie, we said, “That’s Tommy Goff!” Truly, so much of it was, too.

There is a lesson in all of this. Well, many lessons, actually. But the one that comes strongest to mind is this: let’s not forget those teachers from our past. You know, high school, elementary school, even kindergarten and nursery school. They have a remarkable impact on our lives. And, don’t do what I did. Go back. Say thank you. Oh, I’ve seen Mr. Goff several times in the years since high school, but I never *really* shared just how important he was to me. I wish I had. Tommy Goff is forever with me and so many others.

The final submission deadline for the 2008 Excellence in New Communications Awards. is coming up soon! Submit your entries now – the final deadline is Monday, September 8th.

Each year the Society for New Communications Research presents the prestigious SNCR Excellence in New Communications Awards. These awards honor corporations, governmental and nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, media outlets, and individuals who are innovating the use of social media, ICT, mobile media, online communities and virtual worlds and collaborative technologies in the areas of business, media, and professional communications, including advertising, marketing, public relations and corporate communications, as well as entertainment, education, politics, and social initiatives.

CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR ENTRY TODAY!

Full details about the divisions and categories follow. If you have any additional questions, please contact us at +1 650-331-0083 or info@sncr.org.

Awards are granted in six divisions:

* Corporate
* Government
* Media
* Nonprofit/NGO
* Academic
* Technology Innovation (for New Communications and Social Media Technology Vendors)

We have seven (7) categories this year.

1. Online Reputation Management

A case study submission in this category should explain how an organization is monitoring conversations and content online related to its brand, product or service. The case study should also explain what the organization is doing to either encourage or counter this information online.

An example: An organization that found consumer criticism of its service online, and what it did to discover, strategize and respond to that criticism. An explanation of the outcome of the response would also aid the nomination.

2. Behind the Firewall

A case study submission in this category should explain how an organization is using new communication and/or social media tools internally to enhance employee communications

An example: An organization that uses a blog internally to communicate with employees, or has built an internal online community for its employees.

3. Blogger Relations

A case study submission in this category should explain how an organization is proactively engaging and building relationships with bloggers as part of an initiative, campaign, or ongoing program.

An example: An organization that successfully worked with its industry bloggers around a milestone or an announcement.

4. External Communications & Communities

A case study submission in this category should explain how an organization is communicating with and/or participating in external online communities. This includes both online communities built and managed by the organization as well as other communities and social networks.

An example: An organization that has official spokespeople participating in an industry forum or message board. The external community could also be associated with a social network, like Facebook or MySpace.

5. New Media Creation

A case study submission in this category should explain how an organization is creating and using social media and new communications tools and technologies, with an emphasis on audio, video and imagery.

An example: An organization that created a podcast series or a video blog. An explanation of why a particular medium was chosen and how it aided with a communication or marketing strategy would be helpful.

6. Collaboration & Co-creation

A case study submission in this category should explain how an organization is using new media tools to either help groups and teams communicate and collaborate in new ways, or is using new media as the means for enabling outside sources to provide input and ideas in a collaborative way.

An example: An organization that’s using a wiki to communicate and exchange ideas. Another example nomination could be an organization that’s enabling consumer to submit their ideas and inputs on products and services.

7. Mobile Media

A case study submission in this category should explain how an organization is using mobile media in its communication or marketing projects.

An example: An organization creating mobile applications or using SMS as part of a campaign or initiative.

CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR ENTRY TODAY!

ENTRY FEES

FREE for SNCR members. (This is a great time to join SNCR if you’re not already a member. Join SNCR now to enter for FREE and to save $100. on your attendance at the 3rd Annual SNCR Symposium & Awards Gala. For more information about membership levels, rates and benefits, visit http://sncr.org/get-involved.

Non-member award entry fees: $70.USD per entry

CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR ENTRY TODAY!

And join us at the 3rd Annual Society for New Communications Research Symposium & Awards Gala
Friday, November 14th, Hotel Marlowe, Cambridge, Mass.

Join us for a full day of presentations by the SNCR Fellows on their latest research projects and to celebrate the winners of the 2008 SNCR Excellence in New Communications Awards!

The Society for New Communications Research is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation — 30% of all contributions to all SNCR programs are tax deductible. Visit http://sncr.org/get-involved/ to join the SNCR or to make a fully tax deductible donation.

OK, I’ll admit. This is a little bit of a personal rant. I don’t do this much, but I’m kinda fed up – just a wee bit – so, I’m venting. )

Local news reported in a social network / emerging digital media kinda way.

When I first thought of this for classes, some time ago, I’ll admit to having that image of Al Franken’s SNL faux coverage of politics flashing through my mind. But, today it really is possible and provides students with realistic and valuable experience.

As we embark on our class activities at The Loveliest Village, students may wonder why we’ll be doing all this local reporting using lil’ cameras, laptops and social media / social network software platforms to publish.

Well, if it is good enough for CNN, it’s good enough for us, right?

Now, imagine using the skills my students develop in these exercises and then share those stories, videos, photos and more with news outlets online and print.  Hey, they are seeking content. Get the drift? This is how we all may be doing a good portion of media relations in the future.

Actually, forget the future.  I had students doing it today.  This summer they pitched and delivered stories, video and photos.  This semester they are collaborating with multiple news outlets to place stories they will create for class.  Yep, it is not just what they post in The Loveliest Village.  These news outlets have actually sought us out for content.  No kidding.

So, students will create content much the same as CNN is now doing.  Pretty cool, huh.  ;o)  And people said I was nuts.  Sorry, couldn’t resist.

Well, some people said I was crazy.  Didn’t know what I was talking about. Why show students how to do this?  Hmm?  If it is good enough for CNN, I guess it’s good enough for us. )

According to that PRWeek article, at CNN journalists “…will report for broadcast and digital mediums with lightweight kits, including wi-fi-enabled laptops, cameras, and editing tools.”

So now, our students will be able to understand how major media works – the new way.  They’ll be sharing the content that reporters are looking for in this new world.  Not only ‘are’ we way ahead.  We’ve ‘been’ way ahead, for some time.  Update: And, by the way, it isn’t just major media.  Local … local … media has sought us out to create content for their sites.  Hello?

What CNN is now doing is what we’ve been talking about and doing for a long time now.  )  Just sharin’ …. just sayin’.

/rant

Hire these students. Hey, they worked with a wide array of software and participated in social media on several sites. They have an understanding of the software and social media practice. Looking for interns? New hires? Check out these student resumes. Hire them. You’ll be happy you did!

• Katie Hoch
• Whitney West
• Lindsay McCormick
• Maggie Jenkins
• Kendall Green
• Maggie Hampl
• Kathryn Woods
• Elizabeth Toney
• Miles Duncan
• Chelsea Lami
• Marvin Jones
• Amanda Zambrano
• Catharine Montgomery
• Rachel Roberts

Here is a sampling of the many places they posted content, including features and videos.

• The Loveliest Village
• The Corner News

Cross-posted at PRProspects.com.

Two great posts help you with links and resources.

Oregon’s Beth Evans offers us Arts and PR Job Search Tips From a PR Ninja. Actually, her links and resources will serve many areas of interest, not just those seeking work in the Arts.

Tiffany Derville, also from the University of Oregon, offers up the news that Idealist.org Launches Recruitment Campaign. “To attract non-profits and job seekers, Idealist.org has waived the $60 monthly posting fee for non-profits this month, and it launched (a video) to attract people seeking non-profit internships and jobs.”

I have a story, but first – some background.

The PR Writing class is reading David Meerman Scott‘s book, The New Rules of Marketing and PR. Then, they are writing about it in their Fall 2007 class blogs. Along the way, the students are also exploring social media releases, online release portals and more. You’ll be happy to know that they are doing a lot of other writing, too. Releases, features and more are weekly exercises. Finally, they will create an online newsroom for a nonprofit client … a real client.

I’ve never said, and never will say, that social media will replace tried and true public relations practices. It does offer a new way, sometimes a more appropriate and successful way, of serving a client’s interests and those of their stakeholders. And, developing an understanding of online release writing and delivery is certainly useful.

So, the story is that - as usual - many students are skeptics. Jackie is was one of them. But, she recently had an ah-ha! experience.

Understanding, Ah-Ha’s, and Intuition: To us humans, an “ah-ha” means that at a particular point in time we do not have the solution of a problem, or even an understanding of it, but a moment (a few hundred milliseconds?) later we have a solution or a clear idea of how to reach one, and a feeling that we know why it will work. (Source: Stanford Discussion Group)

It all started when Jackie was researching her client for the final project mentioned above. Her client, the Alabama Community Healthy Marriage Initiative (ACHMI), was having a conference and she attended to meet, greet and listen.

Jackie related her story in a post to The Loveliest Village and in her own blog, The title of her post? “Wow, This Stuff Really is Important.”

Long story short, Jackie was listening to those attending the conference discuss how they might best get their message out to their key audiences. After awhile, Jackie couldn’t restrain herself any longer and she started to talk about what we are covering in class.

Here is the kicker. This ACHMI initiative is an $8.2 million dollar project. It was a student, just learning about new media, that caught the interest of these conference attendees … so much so, they asked her to speak at the conference. Jackie, bless her heart, stepped up to the challenge and spoke to the crowd about what we are doing in class.

It gets better.

Remember those posts of Jackie’s? Well, David found the post in his Google Alerts and dropped by to comment. But, he didn’t stop there. David wrote about it in his blog, WebInkNow.com. His post is entitled The New PR Generation. It even shows up on the Amazon.com page for the book. Two of David’s readers came by to comment, too. One is from Washington, D.C. and the other from Saint Joseph’s, Missouri. Elsewhere, we’ve seen comments from South Africa, The Netherlands and points coast-to-coast in the USA.

It gets better.

Tonight, I receive an email from an Auburn colleague, Michael Tullier. He serves on the PRSA Universal Accreditation Board. A colleague of his, from that board, sent an email stating, “FYI. This was circulated among our “Legends” group of APRs in San Diego. It speaks highly of Auburn.”

Talk about a long tail and six degrees of separation. Talk about buzz. Talk about an unintended, yet positive, result from a classroom initiated meme. Whew!

You know, this isn’t just any ol’ book and any ol’ author we’re getting the students involved with, by the way. Right now Scott’s book has a sales rank at #503 overall in Amazon.com’s Books section. The book is in the top 100 for business books at #92, as of the last check (the ranks are updated hourly). And it is now sitting at #4 in the Marketing category. Is it just me, or doesn’t that deserve a mention? The book isn’t just great … it is also a best seller.

So, that’s good news. Yea! for our team. Yea! for the students. Yea! to David Meerman Scott for taking an active interest. Thank you!

But, you know what? I still find myself in the position of having to (a) justify what we are doing in class, (b) defend the value for the students, and (c) convince people that we should continue the practice. Of course, I’ve been paying for it all out of my own pocket all the while, too. (Sorry, just a little venting.)

You know what, I find myself wondering if it is all worth it for me. I know it is worth it for the students. I know that it has helped, is helping, and will continue to help the department, college and university. But, me … I’m getting tired. Sigh.

Update: All that being said, I really do want to encourage you to visit the student blogs for this semester. The list of the student blogs for Fall 2007 is located on the Loveliest Village site. Students are also posting features and videos there, so check them out as well.

According to Sheri, “The candidate who originally accepted the position as a graduate intern position has since obtained permanent full-time employment, so our position is open again at a very late date.”

Hey, sometimes these things happen. But, it offers a great opportunity for one enterprising and industrious student. Hmm?  Does that describe you?

And … it is a paid internship. Experience and dollars. Could you possibly ask for more?  EBSCO is truly a global corporation and well-worth considering for an internship.

So, if you are interested …

Internship Available with EBSCO Industries Inc.

www.ebscoind.com

EBSCO Industries Inc., a worldwide sales, service and manufacturing organization, seeks corporate communications interns for summer, fall, winter and spring terms.

One position is available for Summer 2007 (beginning in late May) with emphasis on writing, editing and proofreading. This is a paid internship offering a great opportunity for students to learn the ropes of corporate communication, including advertising, marketing and public relations, and to hone skills.

Strong writing and proofreading skills are required; students must have completed sophomore year in college with a public relations, journalism, communications or English emphasis. Candidates will be required to take proofreading and editing tests.

A full-time, 40-hour week is preferred, but we will work around a qualified applicant’s schedule when necessary. Portfolios are welcome!

Depending upon qualifications and need, interns may be involved in any of the following:

• Writing articles
• Writing news releases
• Writing, editing and layout of in-house weekly newsletter, Headquarters Hotline
• Proofreading copy/bluelines, etc.
• Desktop layout
• Editing copy
• Helping with special events coordination
• Taking photographs
• Project brainstorming or evaluation
• Article and/or library research
• Proofreading catalog editorial copy
• Clerical work normally done by a communications person

Interested students should apply on line at www.ebscoind.com. EBSCO is located just outside Birmingham, Alabama on Highway 280 East atop Oak Mountain.

Sheri Thompson
Public Relations Manager
EBSCO Industries, Inc.
205.991.1278
www.ebscoind.com

Spring semester brought something new for the PR Style & Design class. They published their digital resumes and portfolios online.

The students completed their final projects this week. The links below lead to their digital resumes and portfolios.

In the past, some students took it upon themselves to do this. Each semester, more and more chose that path. So, I thought about having all the students stake their place online with a resume.

I think this is a positive opportunity. Already, some of the students have received positive feedback from those they’ve applied to for internships and jobs.

A diverse group, these students are either graduating, heading out to do their internships or about to search for internships/jobs. So, if you’re interested in hiring … check these links out now.

We’ve been doing a final project like this for years. But, this is the first time I’ve required the students to obtain a domain and publish their final projects online.

Here are the results …

Tyler Herrin

Stephanie Hightower

Ashley Kowalik

Dana LaRock

Katherine Liles

Hollon McKay

Evyan Mischke

Justin Murray

Emily Anne Nordness

Jennifer Northcutt

Christopher Reed

Jessica Ritchie

Liz Roche

Chasity E. Simpson

Virginia Tharpe

Allison Westlake

Kristina Wilburn

Hayley Wofford

Sarah Young

I’m proud of them all. Hey, this was new and they took to the challenge. I’ll admit that it was hard for a group that, for the most part, come into the class with varying levels of experience with all of this software. Our goal is to provide them with an overview of the software so that they may be knowledgeable when serving the interests of their clients in the future.

Here is a sampling of the software programs the students explored. Katherine Liles shared a list of the software titles on her resume.

• Adobe Indesign – A graphic design layout page.
• Adobe Photoshop – A professional image editing and graphics creation program.
• SnagIt – A program that allows you to capture any images, text, or video on your screen.
• Macromedia Dreamweaver – A program that provides users with a graphical interface for the creation of web pages. This type of program is commonly referred to as a “HTML editor”.
• Macromedia Flash – A program that allows you to integrate video, text, graphics and audio into interactive web sites.
• Audacity – An audio recording and editing program.

There are actually other software packages involved in the project. Some of those are Skype, HotRecorder and Color Cop.

Also, the students utilized templates available from the Open Source Web Design Project (oswd.org).

To put it simply, Open Source Web Design is a collection of web designs submitted by the community that anyone can download free of charge!

Students edit and modify the themes to suit their project needs. This is one way to develop an understanding of HTML and CSS. I don’t intend for the students to leave as software and Web developers, as that isn’t realistic. Also, they don’t need to be developers. They do need to leave with a working understanding of the processes, and this project serves that purpose.

Check them out and let me know what you think.