{"id":1504,"date":"2025-12-02T10:15:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-02T10:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/clt\/?p=1504"},"modified":"2025-11-25T15:49:32","modified_gmt":"2025-11-25T15:49:32","slug":"vertically-integrated-project-positive-student-feedback","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/clt\/2025\/12\/02\/vertically-integrated-project-positive-student-feedback\/","title":{"rendered":"Vertically Integrated Project: Positive Student Feedback"},"content":{"rendered":"

The University of Bath has been developing Vertically Integrated Projects (VIPs) since 2019; the VIPs are innovative research and applied learning projects that enable inter-disciplinary, multi-level teams of students to work with a member of academic staff on long-term real-world projects.<\/p>\n

VIPs are designed to break down silos, giving students the chance to work in long-term, research-driven teams that mirror professional environments. But what really makes these projects successful isn\u2019t just the programme\u2014it\u2019s the students themselves. Student feedback shapes the experience, drives improvement, and ensures that a VIP remains a dynamic, student-centred approach to learning.<\/p>\n

We interviewed Jian Helsby, BSc (hons) Computer Science and Mathematics<\/strong> who was an active student member of the TBB:Bath Biodevices without borders VIP in AY22\/23. <\/a>Here is Jian's experience:<\/p>\n

What motivated you to apply for a VIP project?<\/span><\/h3>\n

\"At the beginning of my first year of university, I spoke with the Careers Service about gaining experience valued by employers. They suggested I look into VIPs as a recent initiative started by the university. On further reading, I found many of the projects very exciting in terms of science, engineering, and social good. In the end, I chose TBB as it aligned with my personal interests alongside the professional experience I wished to gain.\"<\/em><\/p>\n

What did you hope to gain from participating in a VIP project?<\/h3>\n

\"Experience with: teamwork, leadership, working with academics, working on a real-world problem, productionising scientific and engineering research, and contributing to a good cause.\"<\/em><\/p>\n

What was your experience of working with other students from different disciplines\/backgrounds?<\/h3>\n

\"It broadened my horizons and exposed me to many academic areas that I never would have otherwise seen. It was also humbling in that it showed me how much knowledge there is out there, and how comparatively little I know. It was a pleasure working alongside so many creative, hardworking and talented students across many backgrounds.\"<\/em><\/p>\n

Could you describe any skills you feel you developed through the VIP projects?<\/h3>\n

\"Teamwork, leadership, organisation, managing a team, leading using Agile processes, mobile app development, coordination, working with people from different backgrounds (including undergraduate, Master's, PhD students, and academic staff).\"<\/em><\/p>\n

How do you feel your personal development (such as increased confidence\/leadership) benefited from VIPs?<\/h3>\n

\"Hugely: this was my first experience leading a technical team and working on a real-world problem. It gave me insight into how projects are run, the accompanying challenges, and experience trying to solve people problems alongside technical ones. I felt much more confident in later work - it meant that at the start of my first internship, I already had some relevant experience.\"<\/em><\/p>\n

Can you describe how your VIP experience helped you in your course and placement opportunities?<\/h3>\n

\"I believe it helped me significantly in the application process. I included it on my CV while applying, and spoke about my time in TBB in multiple interviews, which resulted in internship offers.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

I feel it also helped me during the internships, as it meant I had some experience working on real-world technical problems as part of a team. I think the leadership experience improved my understanding of the work managers do, in terms of their responsibilities and challenges. This helped me work with my managers during my internships.\"<\/em><\/p>\n

If you were trying to encourage a new student to volunteer for a VIP project now, what advice might you give?<\/h3>\n

\"I had a fantastic experience with my VIP, and I'm confident it hugely helped me with my career development. But alongside this, I also found it extremely fun and rewarding. It expanded my horizons and gave me exposure to things I wouldn't have experienced otherwise. In particular, it was exciting to gain exposure to the academic staff and their research. I would encourage anyone interested in gaining valuable work and academic experience to consider participating.<\/em><\/p>\n

I would recommend reading up on the many different VIP options and reflecting on what you want to get out of the experience before applying. During the VIP, I would suggest working with the project leaders to ensure you can get the experience you\u2019re most interested in. In my case, I wanted to gain leadership experience as I thought this would be hard to obtain for the first few years of my career.\"<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Thank you to Jian for providing us with his feedback. Jian was able to \"<\/strong><\/em>land his dream internships and graduate job\"<\/strong><\/em>, What is stopping you from joining?<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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