Institute Certificates Keep Students Engaged from a Distance

April 30, 2020

Project Success Institute student, Tanavia, with a bowl of ramen made while watching a virtual cooking certificate course, with ingredients provided by Project Success.

For two years, the Project Success Institute has given high school students the opportunity to expand their personal and professional skill sets through immersive, hands-on learning experiences. Institute certificates, designed in 10-week trimesters, offer guidance in life skills such as cooking and financial literacy, as well as career-related fields like coding and podcasting.

“When we say ‘The Project Success Institute,’ we’re talking about a multi-functional classroom space here at the Project Success office in Minneapolis,” says Institute Program Manager James Rone. “‘The Institute also refers to the set of programs and classes we offer. But beyond the space and the programming, the Institute is a community — a safe place where students from all of the Minneapolis public high schools we serve can come to build relationships, learn and collaborate.”

When schools closed as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, the Institute space closed, too. But among the many programs Project Success adapted into virtual program offerings, our certificates — and our student-centered community — have continued on in a new way.

One of the programs interrupted was our cooking certificate, which made a quick pivot from in-person, hands-on cooking courses to an online stream hosted by James through Instagram and YouTube Live. Each Wednesday night for the duration of the spring trimester, James has hosted his own virtual cooking class, making recipes from his home kitchen while students tune in to follow along, posing questions and comments as they go.

Institute Program Manager James Rone has been hosting online cooking courses for his students from his home since Minnesota moved to distance learning.

In an effort to evoke the hands-on experience of an in-person cooking course for students while distance learning, Project Success is currently piloting an addition to the program: grocery delivery.

“Knowing that our students need to stay safe and stay home, we’ve noticed that videos and screens have become the predominant way they are receiving content and communicating,” says Laura Garcia, Project Success Director of Schools and Curriculum. “For more than 25 years, we’ve focused on experiential learning. That’s where the idea for grocery delivery came in — we thought, ‘What are some ways we can continue to engage in interactive experiences with our students while still keeping them safe?’”

Starting in late April, students  receive a box of the ingredients needed to complete that week’s dish, giving them an opportunity to cook alongside James’ live stream. Our cooking certificate has always encouraged students to try new ingredients, develop new techniques and explore cuisines from around the world — live streams have included Pad Thai, Roti Pizza and more. “It’s hard to not at least be curious about what something will taste like, especially if you’ve had a hand in creating it,” says James.

Southwest Sophomore Brynn prepping ramen while watching a Project Success cooking class.

The online format has given students like Brynn, a sophomore at Southwest, an opportunity to turn cooking course nights into an activity the whole family can participate in.

“Watching the videos is really fun,” says Brynn, who has even been inspired to create her own ‘How To’ videos, showcasing the skills she’d learned since starting the cooking course in January. “Mom and I make the meal and follow along with James. It’s been great watching. The ramen was so good! And I like cooking with my mom. It’s a good opportunity to bond and cook.”

Her mother, Sally, agrees.

“As an educator, I see how important it is for students to integrate learning into their own life and their own experiences. So cooking isn’t just this thing that happens only when you’re at the Project Success Institute,” says Sally. “If you teach a skill that can only be done in that classroom, with those tools, it can’t be generalized in other environments. The virtual cooking shows have created a way for Brynn to bring that learning into our home.”

Our financial literacy and coding courses have adapted, too — with a dedicated set of volunteers and PS staff facilitators signing on to Zoom calls during their previously scheduled class time (6-8pm, once a week) to guide students through the remainder of the curriculum.

PS facilitators Hana and Rachel wrapped up the final virtual meeting of the financial literacy certificate by providing an interactive session for students on the ways to pay for college. In coding, “our students are still getting 1:1 coaching from volunteer experts in the field,” says James, “and that very much accurately correlates to the experience they’d have in person in the Institute.”

While temporarily limited in the ways in which we can reach students, Project Success has made thoughtful and intentional adaptations of existing programs our highest priority.

“This is not just an adaptation, but an enhancement of the work we’ve always done,” says Laura. “We’re already gathering feedback from students and incorporating it into our programs, and we know that relationships are the key to everything we do. We’ve learned so much that we can take with us long into the future, and we can’t wait to see our students again — in person — soon.”