Case Study Creation for MIT-affiliated nonprofit

Our non-profit organization is well known in the immersive technology community, particular amongst university groups and VR/AR technology companies. It's not difficult to find an anecdotes that speak to the impact our events have had on participants. However, we rely on corporate sponsorship in order to fund the events and the organization, and thus far have not had a solid strategy for collecting comprehensive feedback from past sponsors that goes beyond superficial praise (or a list of complaints). We would like to collaborate with students to develop user case studies to successfully convey: Case Studies in Sponsorship: How value was created for the sponsor Case Studies in Programming: A track record of success for participants (which also feeds into value for the sponsor) This will involve several different steps for the students, including: Conducting background research on our industry and thoroughly understanding our programs Developing a set of stakeholder personas (startup, large company, program participant, etc.) Developing an appropriate methodology for reaching out to stakeholders, including drafting interview questions to be asked. Conducting the moderated interviews remotely and following up with stakeholders to thank them for their participation. Writing case studies based on interview findings. Bonus steps in the process would also include: Recommending areas of improvement based on feedback.

Nonprofit Operational Analysis

What is the main goal for this project? Our nonprofit is centered around a rather complex event that takes place at MIT every January, with plans for year round engagements in process. In a nutshell, we'd like a comprehensive model of our universe that encompasses internal operations for our event, which is comprised of numerous teams and subevents. We would also like this model to incorporate each of our fundraising inputs and expense outputs as well as our various partner organizations and collaborators within the ecosystem. We'd also like to get a view on our organization management in general and identify inefficiencies and recommend best practices based on comparable organizations within our sphere. In this project, students will focus on evaluating our operations and identifying internal issues that are causing processes to be too timely or costly.  Mapping out operational processes using Business Process Model Notation and notation (BPMN), and evaluating each step and the resources it consumes. Identifying bottlenecks in our operational processes. Researching solutions to each unique problem identified in the mapping process. Creating a proposal with recommendations for improvements and an implementation plan for how we would incorporate the solutions. Creating a second BPMN model of operational processes with the proposed solution(s). What tasks will learners need to complete to achieve the project goal? How will you support learners in completing the project? Students will connect directly with the employer for mentorship and supervision throughout the Students will connect directly with us for mentorship throughout the project. We will be able to provide answers to questions such as: Are there any bottlenecks we are currently aware of? Which aspects of our operational processes work well for us? Which do we want to change? Input on choices, problems or anything else the students might encounter..

XR Media Landscape Analysis and Event Promotion Strategy

Reality Hack, Inc. seeks a comprehensive understanding of the media landscape within the XR (extended reality) technology industry. The goal is to inventory and analyze existing media assets, identify untapped resources, and pinpoint relevant talking points to generate digital content and press releases. In the short term, the project aims to raise the profile of the upcoming MIT Reality Hack event in January 2025, thereby demonstrating value to potential sponsors and attracting participants. In the medium to longer term, the project will develop a plan for engagement immediately before, during, and after the event. The MIT Reality Hack is a community-driven XR hackathon that promotes creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving skills, emphasizing accessibility, diversity, and open-source creation. Here are a couple press items from last year's event: https://www.zdnet.com/article/mit-reality-hack-revealed-the-momentum-building-in-vr-ar-and-xr/ https://www.fastcompany.com/91024333/mit-reality-hack-hackathon-2024 Key tasks include: - Inventory and analysis of current media assets. - Identification of untapped media resources and relevant talking points for the public and corporate market audience. - Development of a short-term digital content and press release drafts. - Creation of a medium to long-term engagement plan for the MIT Reality Hack event for stakeholders, participants, and the public.