You will need the following forms to get you started with your sponsor. Please download them now and refer to them throughout this review.
A sponsor may be a leader or leadership team in the field, who has a genuine need for a project to be done on an important education problem that directly relates to the course's topic.
To assist all adults involved in education endeavors that are asked to be leaders within their spheres of influence. Students in the program explore theory and its application to the solutions of important education problems. Each course requires each student to identify a sponsor who will work with the student to complete projects that matter to their learning communities and, at the same time, build relationships with education leaders in their communities.
Appropriate sponsors may be school leaders (principals and building administrators), district leaders (superintendents and district administrators), a workplace manager, policymakers, school tech coordinators, online school contacts, charter school contacts, state legislators, state committees, professional associations, etc.
The sponsor will provide guidance to the student for the project to ensure it will have a real-world application. Near the beginning of the course, the sponsor will be asked to review the student's proposal and commit to a presentation date. Towards the end of the course, the sponsor will provide feedback on the completed Course Project. An approximate time commitment is 1-2 hours over an 8 week period.
The student should return to the professor the completed sponsor acceptance form at the beginning of the course indicating their review of the proposal and acceptance of the presentation date. After the sponsor's review of the completed course project, the student should submit to the professor the sponsor's completed presentation feedback form. As project manager, the student is the single point of contact with the sponsor, unless specified otherwise by the course or the professor.
Students will be advised to make an attempt to quickly find another sponsor. If this is not feasible, the student will work with the professor to determine a solution.
Students will submit contact information to the professor as required on a case-by-case basis at the professor's discretion.
So, how do you go about finding a sponsor? In part, that will depend on the class you’re taking and the role of the sponsor for the project. However, there are some general guidelines and considerations to take into account. Before you ever contact a sponsor, you'll need to do some research. Here are some questions you should answer for yourself.
The first thing you should do is to determine what the parameters of the course project are. Start by reviewing the course project plan as described in the course. It provides an overview of the project, a description of the deliverables for each week, and the rubric that your professor will use to evaluate your project.
Early in the course, usually by the end of the first or second week, you should determine what you'd like to do, and seek feedback from your professor and/or fellow students. The course project plan will specify deadlines for submitting your project deliverables, such as a project proposal. A typical project proposal may require that you provide a brief summary of:
Requirements for deliverables will vary from course to course, as specified in the course project plan.
Ideally, you will seek a sponsor who works in a location that you are able to visit in person. Depending on your course's project requirements, you may need to do a presentation for your sponsor. In that case, locale may be an important factor. There are ways to do live presentations over the Internet or to record a presentation for asynchronous delivery, although these may require a certain amount of technical knowledge and equipment. JIU also has an online tool for creating an online, narrated, recorded presentation; use of that tool may be required on a course-by-course basis.
Finding a sponsor who is geographically accessible may be a better alternative. Then again, if your focus is online schools, for example, then selecting an online school may make perfect sense. Again, selecting a sponsor depends at least in part on the parameters put forth in the course project plan.
One approach to finding a sponsor will be to work your connections first. Since you will mostly likely have other courses with sponsored projects, you may want to find organizations to which you could have year-round access. This may be an important consideration if your course is running in summer and you need access to a school employee.
If you are already a teacher in a school, for example, then most likely you should have no trouble finding a colleague or supervisor who would be willing to sponsor your project since your project should have practical application and utility for your sponsor. That is, your project proposal should clearly be of service to your sponsor.
If you are a pre-service student teacher, then finding the right sponsor is truly critical for you. Access to a K-12 learning environment is a requirement for admission to JIU’s teacher licensure program, as listed in the M.Ed. Licensure Handbook: "For students seeking initial educator licensure, access to K–12 learning environments. (Teacher licensure students must have access in their endorsement area for Level 1 and Level 2 Field Experiences..." By the time you are ready to apply for licensure, you will need to have documented 200 hours of supervised Level 1 Field Experience. Not only does having a sponsored project help you to complete your Level 1 Field Experience, but it is also a networking opportunity to provide inroads into institutions in which you may eventually seek employment.
If you are on a corporate track, then it may be more appropriate to seek the sponsorship of a supervisor or even a colleague at your place of work. Regardless of your situation, think about who you know, and who you'd like to meet.
Wherever you seek a sponsor, take all these things into consideration, as they will affect the feasibility of your project and will thus play a role in your professor's acceptance or rejection of your project proposal.
JIU has provided some helpful Internet search tips if you do not have already have a specific sponsor or institution in mind.
How should you go about introducing yourself to a potential sponsor?
JIU recommends that you NOT attempt to make first contact via email. With just a cursory glance, your email could be interpreted as spam and discarded. You do not have time to waste, and this is a risk you cannot afford as project manager.
Here are some suggestions:
You may do well to think of this as a job interview of sorts. Research the information that is available on the institution's website. Speak with any inside contacts you may have. You are attempting to do a specific job for the school, and should acquire any information that will be helpful in presenting your proposal to a potential sponsor. Attempt to anticipate the questions that may be asked of you, and prepare your answers ahead of time. Be sure to have a copy of your current résuméhandy when you meet with your sponsor.
Make sure you have a clear understanding of what the course project is, and that you have at least formulated a preliminary proposal for what you want to do. You are a consultant attempting to "sell your services" (not literally, of course); to do that, you must first identify the need for your services through targeted market research.
If possible, attempt to get direct contact information for individuals in positions most likely to serve as sponsors for your project.
Example: If your project requires you to revise a school's Internet Use Policy (IUP), search the school's website for their IUP, as well as any supporting documents. Read the materials. Attempt to obtain direct contact information for the school principal, a technology coordinator, or a computer studies teacher. Call the school secretary to see if there are any teachers there who are particularly computer savvy, or are focused on integrating technology into the classroom, or who've expressed concern about the existing policy, etc.
The focus of your introduction should be on what you can do for your sponsor, not vice-versa. You can be certain that whomever you contact, your offer will be rejected if it simply appears to add another task onto your sponsor's to-do list with no significant benefit to the sponsor.
Poor Approach
Hi, I'm Jon Jones. I'm a masters student doing a project for a course and was wondering if you'd be willing to sponsor me.
Better Approach
Hi, Ms. Smith. I'm Jon Jones. I was asking Mr. Brown in the administrator's office who the school's technology leaders are, and he told me that that you've been doing some innovative projects with your students. I'm currently researching your school's Internet Use Policy, and was wondering if you might have a few minutes to share your insights with me.
The first approach immediately sounds like work for the sponsor. The second approach, by contrast, does the following:
You might continue the conversation by asking Ms. Smith about how the IUP has affected her experiences in the classroom. "What works well? Is there anything that you think could be better?" Only after you have an understanding of who the person is, and why the topic is important to her, should you ask about sponsorship of your project.
Wow, it sounds like you've really got experience in this. What I'm trying to do is prepare a revised IUP that addresses the kinds of issues you're talking about. Would you mind if I cite some of your experience in my research report?
I'm going to be working on this for at least the next month and a half. With your experience and my research, I bet we might be able to craft some policy recommendations that would address the issues you're currently dealing with. When I'm done with my research, do you think you'd be willing to give some feedback?
Be prepared to talk about what's involved in the sponsor's role.
Really, all I need is a note from you saying that you think this is an important topic that is useful to you. I'll take your advice, do my research, and come back with some recommendations. If it's all right with you, I'd like to do a short presentation on my findings for you, and for any other teachers who you think might find it useful. I just need your feedback so that I can prepare something that's practical for your situation.
It may be that you decide that the person you're speaking with really isn't the right person to sponsor your project. Even so, don't waste the opportunity to ask for another lead. Ask if she knows of anyone else at the school who meets the criteria you're looking for. You could also ask if you could leave a flyer/announcement that they could post in the faculty lounge.
As the project manager, you are solely responsible for keeping the project on schedule. It would be wise to speak with more than one potential sponsor. You don't want to get to week 3 of your course and find yourself “sponsorless” due to unforeseen circumstances and no backup plan.
Below is a recommended procedure for crafting your invitation to a potential sponsor
From the M.Ed. Licensure Handbook:
Before a JIU student may enter EDU605 Student Teaching, s/he must complete, among other requirements, 200 hours of Level-1 field experience working with K-12 students. Throughout their M.Ed. coursework, JIU students have many opportunities to work with K-12 students in the field. JIU students must document this experience, by using this form, for submission to the EDU605 supervising professor.
Who: JIU students must work with or on behalf of K-12 students in a supervised environment. An on-site contact person must be available to vouch for the JIU student’s field experience. |
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Name of Contact Person |
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E-mail of Contact Person |
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Phone Number of Contact Person |
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What: JIU students may observe K-12 students in classroom settings, may assist school teachers and/or administrators, may participate in school and community activities, etc. |
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Type of Field Experience |
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Where: JIU students have many choices for conducting Level-1 field experiences: school sites, school administration centers, school clinics, and community agencies. |
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Name of Site |
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Street Address of Site |
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City, State, Zip Code of Site |
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When: As the maximum time for degree completion is 3.5 years, the 200 hours of Level-1 field experience must occur within the three years prior to entering EDU605 Student Teaching. |
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Month(s) and Year(s) of Field Experience |
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Duration: JIU students document the 200 hours of Level-1 field experience by recording information below. This report is submitted to the supervising professor upon enrollment in EDU605 Student Teaching. |
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Number of hours for this field experience: |
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