MSU business IT students prepared to help organizations with new tech projects

An estimated 15 teams of Michigan State University undergraduate juniors and seniors are ready and waiting to help business, government and nonprofit organizations and MSU researchers solve digital problems. As part of their final course in the information technology minor, students are required to work in cross-functional teams on a real-world project. They just need a few more “clients.”

Teagan Dixon, fixed-term faculty in the Department of Accounting and Information Systems, and Tom Day, assistant professor in the Department of Media and Information in MSU’s College of Communication Arts and Sciences, who are teaching the course, say the students are capable of taking on a wide range of projects. Each team will be composed of students majoring in business, media and information, finance, supply chain management, engineering and other majors. So far, they’ve already completed successful projects like these:

• Websites and content management systems: Student teams have designed new websites, redesigned existing websites and proposed new ideas for database systems, among other web-related projects. For example, one student team was responsible for the redesign of an online dashboard for Steelcase and MSU.
• Businesses strategies and IT solutions: A student team has created a unified endpoint management strategy and built a proof of concept using the proposed solution for the Oakland County IT Department.
• Market research and user research: Student teams have assisted companies in diverse ways when it comes to research needs, such as developing a full market assessment of web technologies for Michigan Government Management Information Sciences or performing user research via surveys and focus groups for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Division.
• Social media marketing and search engine optimization strategies: Over the years, students have created social media campaigns and SEO strategies for several companies and organizations. One recent project was for Wrapped in Love, a clothing and accessories line providing comfort, style and dignity for cancer patients.

Project proposals are now being accepted from business, government or nonprofit organizations and MSU researchers seeking student help for the spring 2024 semester, which begins in January and extends through April. The ideal project is hands-on, with a well-defined outcome that can be achieved by five students in about 10 weeks.

To submit a project for consideration, please contact instructors Dixon and Day no later than Jan. 20.