Summer projects, meant to ensure students continue learning throughout summer, should be teacher-designed instead of student-designed. Student-designed courses would fail to be well focused around the course, as teachers would not be able to guide the students through the process of developing and carrying out these projects. Those who take the project seriously and those that do not will also result in drastically different kinds of projects. In contrast, teacher-designed projects would provide a good quality of learning, that all students will be learning the same material, and insight into the course and the teacher. Depending on how the teacher structures the assignment, the project should still allow students to express their own thoughts and ideas while maintaining a solid standard of work.

When a teacher designs a project for their class, the class is given standards they are expected to meet. As someone who is well-versed in their field, the teacher will be able to decide what the project should focus on, as well as how in-depth it should be to properly prepare their students. Therefore, students will be well prepared for the course, as well as have a firm grasp on the type of things the course will teach them. Without this supervision, it remains inevitable that all students will think differently, resulting in projects of varying qualities. This inequality would lead to an awkward period of time in the new school year, as the students will enter the year with uneven levels of education. The teacher would have to do work anyways, as they would be forced to catch some students up while others find themselves with nothing to do.

With the previously mentioned idea that students will think differently, that includes the fact that students will choose different topics. If the project were teacher-designed, the topics students were allowed to research would be relevant and helpful to what students would be learning later. These would be greatly beneficial to students, as it better prepares them for the course. However, if the projects were student-designed, some may not even be relevant to the course the students are supposed to be taking. Instead of a helpful summer project to ensure the continuation of learning, students who chose worse topics than others would find the project as both unhelpful and a waste of time, leaving them less prepared than their peers.

As mentioned before, teacher-designed projects deliver insight into the class and the teacher's method of teaching through what is expected of the students. For example, a psychology class in which the teacher wants their students to reflect deeply upon themselves might assign a summer assignment that involves such a task. If the students were to decide for themselves what they wanted their project to revolve around, the teacher would never be given the opportunity to express what they want from their students. This restricts the understanding between the students and the teacher of what the course is centered around, as it is impossible to tell what kind of class a teacher will teach by only the name of the course and perhaps a short description. With a teacher-design project, the student will have the opportunity to learn more about their teacher, while their teacher can learn about them in return, adjusting their teaching method to best fit a class.

In conclusion, while some may argue a student-designed project is beneficial to their creativity and to what they want to learn, nowhere does it specify whether or not this project will be supervised by a teacher. This lack of supervision leads to the possibility of more issues than benefits seen with student-designed projects. It is true that the student-designed projects might turn out to be both well-executed and planned projects, but it is just as likely that they become the opposite. Even if some students turn in work indicative of the success they wish to achieve in class, others will fall behind and the class will be harmed as a result of these projects. Students need the supervision of a teacher, or else risk missing out on the opportunity for projects with the expectations of a high quality education, a strong focus on relevant material, and the establishment of a connection between the teacher and their class.