🏆 Milestones & History
Summer 2025: PD Mentorship Program
- Delivered the IDEA Web Ring initiative through 1-hour weekly professional development mentorship sessions.
- Voluntary student engagement: Students participated outside required coursework to build coding skills and creative portfolios.
- Teaching methodology prototype: Developed and tested a project-based approach to web development education.
Fall 2025
- Apsara and Taylore expressed interest in forming an official IDEA Coding Club, marking the transition from individual mentorship to collaborative community.
- Implemented automated navigation system across all member sites, enabling seamless exploration of the growing web ring.
October 2025 - Recent Development Activity
- Technical improvements: Enhanced web ring navigation, added view counters to all active sites, created learning resources page, improved CSS organization.
- Community growth: Expanded GitHub Discussions for collaboration and launched comprehensive learning resources.
Winter 2026 - Scaling Through Curriculum
- IXD 108 Integration: The web ring is now a required component of Coding for Designers, ensuring consistent student participation. Students report that the project is both educational and enjoyable, with one noting, “Yes, this project's been very informative so far! And honestly a ton of fun,” highlighting how building their responsive resume within the collaborative web ring is both practical and motivating.
- Curriculum validation: Structured coursework is being tested to build a sustainable coding community and foster hands-on skill development.
🚀 Roadmap: What's Next
Spring & Summer 2026
- Summer Coding Mentorship launches April 28, 2026 on Zoom for all BDes and IxD students across all years and sessions.
- Meetings will be held 1 hour per week to support hands-on learning and digital portfolio development.
- Introduction of badges and tiers to celebrate student progress within the web ring.
Winter 2027 – Hands-on Immersive Learning
- IXD 108: The web ring continues as a required component of Coding for Designers, supporting consistent student participation.
- Curriculum validation: To build on current feedback, ensuring students find the project educational and enjoyable, with clear guidance and hands-on learning that builds skills and confidence in a supportive environment. The web ring continues to provide opportunities for practical skill development.