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Work-Integrated Learning for Interdisciplinarians: Liberal Arts Focus

Closed
Main contact
The University of Virginia
The University of Virginia
Charlottesville, Virginia, United States
Jessica McInnis - Team Riipen
Administrator
Timeline
  • January 13, 2026
    Experience start
  • April 29, 2026
    Experience end
Experience
3 projects wanted
Dates set by experience
Preferred companies
Anywhere
Any company type
Any industries

Experience scope

Categories
Communications Community engagement Humanities Education Social sciences
Skills
web content accessibility guidelines coaching key performance indicators (kpis) content audit style guides ethical standards and conduct data storytelling content strategy liberal arts
Learner goals and capabilities

Engage interdisciplinary liberal arts teams to unlock audience insight, sharper storytelling, and practical research, without heavy lift.

The UVA School of Continuing & Professional Studies (SCPS), in partnership with Riipen, is launching an interdisciplinary project-based learning program that connects industry partners with motivated students from across the liberal arts. Teams translate real problems into clear analysis, persuasive narratives, and ready-to-use assets, giving you fresh perspectives, immediate value, and a pipeline of emerging talent.


About the Learners 

Learners come from SCPS focus areas (Art & Society, Early Childhood, History & Politics, Liberal Arts, Psychology, and Writing) and bring:

  • Strong research and synthesis (literature/market scans, interviews, surveys)
  • Clear, audience-appropriate writing and editing (briefs, reports, web copy)
  • Qualitative/intro quantitative analysis and data storytelling
  • Ethical, human-centered thinking 
  • Professional project habits: scoping, timelines, feedback, and presentation


Project Details: 

  • Entry-level scope, designed to match beginner project complexity. 
  • Runs January to April 2026
  • Approximately 300 total hours per team over a 12 week period. 
  • Teams of 3 students will be pre-assembled by the program to ensure balanced skills and collaboration. 
  • Structured to build practical skills, strengthen workplace readiness, and deliver tangible value to employers. 


Employer Role

As a partner and mentor, you’ll help shape a focused problem, share context the team can’t Google, and guide students toward professional, audience-ready work. Expect to join a brief kickoff, provide concise feedback at one or two check-ins, and attend the final readout, offering practical input on what’s working, what to refine, and how recommendations map to real constraints. Your domain expertise, examples, and quick clarifications keep the project on track; your coaching builds students’ professional judgment. The total time commitment is light, but your timely guidance is the difference between a good student project and deliverables your organization can use.


What Employers Provide 


  • A focused project brief (problem, goals, audience, constraints)
  • Relevant materials/data (brand voice guides, prior reports, sample content)
  • A single point of contact for timely feedback during check-ins
  • Access (as needed) to users/stakeholders for interviews or guidance

Learners

Learners
Undergraduate
Beginner, Intermediate levels
10 learners
Project
80-120 hours per learner
Educators assign learners to projects
Individual projects
Up to 3 team(s) or 3 learner(s) per project.
Each learner can join up to one team
Expected outcomes and deliverables

Expected Outcomes 

Partnering with this interdisciplinary capstone team is like bringing on a boutique consultancy that blends research, strategy, and storytelling. With light, structured guidance from you, students will translate your real problem into evidence-based insights, persuasive narratives, and ready-to-use artifacts you can deploy with stakeholders, customers, or funders.


Potential Deliverables

  • Discovery dossier: stakeholder interview guide + synthesized findings, literature/environment scan, annotated sources.
  • Audience personas & journey maps with pain points, opportunity areas, and “moments that matter.”
  • Theory of Change / logic model and an outcomes & indicators framework
  • Mixed-methods insights report with defensible methodology and clear business/social implications.
  • Policy brief or decision memo (exec-ready, 2–4 pages) with options, trade-offs, and risk analysis.
  • Content strategy & messaging framework (voice, tone, key messages, narrative arc, style guide).
  • UX/content audit with plain-language rewrites and before/after examples (readability, WCAG alignment).
  • Early-childhood/education toolkit (lesson plans, caregiver guides, activity sheets, assessment rubrics).
  • Public history/community narrative package (mini-exhibit plan, interview/story rights plan, caption set).
  • Implementation roadmap with pilot plan, roles, timeline, and success metrics.
  • Measurement plan + lightweight dashboard mock-ups (KPI definitions, data collection instruments).
  • Presentation deck for internal/external stakeholders and a concise one-pager you can share widely.


Project timeline
  • January 13, 2026
    Experience start
  • April 29, 2026
    Experience end

Project examples

1) Civic Trust, Plainly Told


Objective: Increase public understanding and trust around a complex policy change.

Scope & Workstreams: policy analysis and stakeholder mapping; message testing and readability checks; channel strategy (web, social, print) and governance design.

Deliverables: plain-language explainer series (articles, FAQ, social copy) with style guide; executive briefing deck; implementation timeline with roles/approvals; measurement plan for comprehension, reach, and feedback.


2) Early Childhood Literacy Lift


Objective: Boost at-home reading and caregiver confidence with evidence-informed materials.

Scope & Workstreams: literature scan and culturally responsive resource review; co-design sessions with caregivers/educators; prototype activities and small pilot/iteration.

Deliverables: caregiver/educator toolkit (activities, book lists, guidance); messaging package for non-expert audiences; outcome tracking starter set (indicators, simple data tools, reflection prompts).


3) Customer Education, Clearer Conversions


Objective: Reduce support volume and improve first-week success for new users/customers.

Scope & Workstreams: audit onboarding flows and help-center content; plain-language rewrites and UX microcopy improvements; prioritization and test-and-learn plan.

Deliverables: voice/tone style guide and revised high-impact content; prioritized roadmap with resourcing notes; KPI set and dashboard wireframes (ticket types, task completion, time-to-value).


4) Community Stories → Brand Narrative


Objective: Strengthen brand affinity and engagement through authentic community narratives.

Scope & Workstreams: oral histories/archival research with ethics/consent; curatorial framework and narrative arc; partner and venue outreach plan.

Deliverables: mini-exhibit plan (physical or digital) with content package and rights log; storytelling framework and editorial calendar; engagement plan with metrics (attendance, dwell time, feedback).


5) Wellbeing at Work Playbook


Objective: Improve employee wellbeing and retention using evidence-based, low-cost practices.

Scope & Workstreams: behavioral science synthesis and needs assessment; design manager micro-practices and conversation guides; pilot plan with training and feedback loop.

Deliverables: manager toolkit (scripts, nudges, job aids) and training deck; 90-day pilot plan with budget and risk/mitigation; metrics package (pulse survey, absenteeism proxy, uptake dashboard wires).


6) Market & Message Fit for a Social Enterprise


Objective: Sharpen positioning and content to grow reach with priority segments. 

Scope & Workstreams: competitive/adjacent landscape scan; stakeholder interviews and segment hypotheses; message testing and channel strategy.

Deliverables: positioning statement and message map (by segment); content plan (themes, formats, funnel) with sample assets; measurement plan (awareness, engagement, conversion) and optimization cadence.


7) Education Program Snapshot Evaluation


Objective: Demonstrate program outcomes and identify targeted improvements.

Scope & Workstreams: co-create Theory of Change/logic model; select outcomes and indicators with equity/access lens; mixed-methods data collection and synthesis.

Deliverables: snapshot evaluation report (methods, findings, implications); indicators matrix and data collection tools (surveys, rubrics, templates); improvement recommendations with quick wins and 6–12-month roadmap.


8) Heritage to Experience: Place-Based Activation


Objective: Connect local history to present-day audiences through an engaging experience.

Scope & Workstreams: asset inventory (archives, artifacts, stories) with community input; interpretive design (signage, docents’ script, digital companion); outreach and partnership plan.

Deliverables: concept package (interpretive plan, copy, visuals, accessibility notes); activation plan (timeline, staffing, materials, budget); engagement metrics framework (attendance, dwell time, feedback).


9) Parent Confidence Campaign


Objective: Increase enrolment/participation in a priority early-childhood program.

Scope & Workstreams: audience segmentation and barrier/opportunity mapping; creative development (visuals, copy) and distribution plan; small-scale test and feedback loop.

Deliverables: campaign toolkit (assets, messaging guide, distribution calendar); implementation playbook (roles, approvals, community partners); monitoring dashboard starter (reach, response, sign-ups; equity lens).


10) Accessibility & Inclusion Content Overhaul


Objective: Improve clarity, inclusivity, and accessibility of high-traffic materials.

Scope & Workstreams: readability and cultural responsiveness audit; WCAG-aligned checklist and content rewrites; editorial governance and staff training.

Deliverables: before/after content package and plain-language style guide; sustainable editorial workflow (roles, versioning, review cadence); measurement plan (readability scores, task completion, tickets/complaints).

Additional company criteria

Companies must answer the following questions to submit a match request to this experience:

  • Q1 - Checkbox
    I confirm that I have read and understand the Agreements of this program.  *
  • Q2 - Checkbox
    I understand that students are not responsible for sourcing the data needed for their project and that the organization must provide access to relevant datasets.  *
  • Q3 - Checkbox
    I understand that I must provide ongoing mentorship and guidance to the student(s) working on my project(s), be responsive to questions, check in on progress, and provide any tools or resources needed to complete the project.  *
  • Q4 - Checkbox
    I understand that I must provide a point of contact who is available for questions that arise and ongoing feedback and who will reply to student queries within 24-48 hours.  *
  • Q5 - Checkbox
    I will evaluate the students' final project submissions within 5 business days, offering feedback on the platform that can be utilized by the students to strengthen their resumes, LinkedIn profiles, and overall professional development.  *
  • Q6 - Multiple choice
    My project requires an NDA to be signed by learners .  *
    • Yes
    • No
  • Q7 - Multiple choice
    Will learners need access to any internal systems, software, or programs to complete your project (e.g., company tools, platforms, secure environments)?  *
    • Yes
    • No
  • Q8 - Text long
    If yes, please specify which systems, tools, or programs learners will be granted access to.