Learn more about Calvin Action Projects (CAPs):
What is a CAP?
Calvin Action Projects (CAPs) are a critical component of Calvin University business degrees. CAPs epitomize Calvin's commitment to experiential learning—or learning through hands-on, real-life experiences—by allowing students to act as consultants for actual businesses on real business problems.
Students are required to take several project-based courses throughout their time at Calvin, ensuring they are exceptionally equipped for service within the business sector following graduation.
Projects are semester-long and categories include:
- Marketing
- Strategy
- Operations
- Management/Human Resources
- Finance
- Innovation
How do CAPs work?
The CCIB is responsible for engaging the broader business community and encouraging companies and organizations to participate in CAPs. Companies must be experiencing a real challenge or opportunity that has no catalyst existing or obvious solution in order to be considered.
Challenges or opportunities can be based in finance, marketing, operations, human resources, and the like.
Once companies are identified, students are paired with a business for a semester and work to frame the challenge or opportunity and identify a possible solution. Professionally and academically-experienced faculty advisors guide students through this process, ensuring students receive better results and a more realistic project experience.
CAP roles
Students
CAP teams consist of four to six undergraduate or graduate business students with little or no professional experience. They come from a variety of disciplines and concentrations, and work hard throughout the semester to provide solid recommendations and solutions to business opportunities and/or challenges defined by the sponsoring company/organization.
Faculty Advisors
Faculty members with numerous years of professional and academic experience, guide the student CAP teams.
Clients
Clients are businesses, organizations, and non-profit institutions within the business community that are eager to help mold and shape future business leaders.
Experiential learning
Experiential learning is hands-on, real-life learning. It blends theory and practice in a cycle that is dependent upon continuous reflection by students who must adjust their conclusions as new information and learning is discovered. Through experiential learning experiences, students develop the ability to:
- Think independently
- Function without sufficient data
- Change thinking or processes mid-course
- Negotiate
- Reflect, inquire, and ask questions
Making CAPs succeed
What makes a good CAP proposal?
- It addresses a real-life business challenge or opportunity that does not have an obvious solution
- It has strong support from management-level employees
- It requires a multi-disciplinary approach
- It can be successfully addressed in a semester
- It has a set of actionable recommendations
What are the client's responsibilities?
- Attendance - in person or virtually - at the project kick-off session and the final presentation at Calvin University
- Informational resources and necessary background information
- A designated point person to provide 24-28 hour turnaround on student requests or questions
- Feedback on the project and overall experience