In the United States, education is taken very seriously; the majority of people believe that the bar must be set very high in order to ensure that children and adolescents today are well-prepared for the oncoming changes of the future. For these reasons, many summer camps and summer projects are set in place to make sure that students are still learning even when school is not in session. However, the use of summer projects has now lead to a controversial question: should these projects be student-designed or teacher designed? Although there are advantages and disadvantages on both sides of the argument, the benfits clearly outweigh the costs when it comes to teacher-designed projects. Teacher-designed projects are much more efficient because teachers are more responsible, they better know the information required for the project, and overall more knowledgeable and experienced than the students.

Because teachers are older than students, they are much more mature and responsible. When it comes to designing and leading a summer project, teachers have many advantages that come with their responsibility. For example, teachers have much lower chances of making an error than a student. In other words, a student designed project includes a greater possiblity of minor, or even major, errors. However, due to the fact that a teacher is more articulate and less prone to mistakes, a teacher-designed project is not as likely to contain errors. Furthermore, Kohlberg's moral psychology model proves that students are likely to be less productive in the case that there is not an adult to monitor their progress. This could lead to poor results and possibly even an upset and confused student at the end of the summer. However, with teachers, the clear advantage is that they can monitor students and make sure that they are aware of deadlines, upcoming due dates, and other important information to make sure that no one falls behind. The teachers are much more responsible and aware, making this a major advantage when it comes to summer projects.

Another major advantage of teacher-designed projects is that teachers have more knowledge on the subject and can help guide students that are confused. This also poses as a disadvantage to a student-designed project because if a student is confused, they are less likely to ask for help from their peers, according to Fareed Zakaria of CNN. In his Sunday special, Dr. Zakaria talks about Erik Erikson's social psychology models stating that when a teen is unsure of a concept, he/she is less likely to ask another peer due to a fear of being perceived as less intellectual than his/her classmates. However, it is easier to talk to an adult about any confusion a student is having because it removes fear of the wrong perceival. Furthermore, if a student needs guidance, a teacher is much more likely to be able to help rather than another student because the teacher is more experienced and can even use personal experiences to help solve the student's problem. However, a student is much less likely to be able to help another student succesfully because he/she is much less reliable than an actual teacher that has been pursuing this field of interest for many years. Teachers are much more accountable and experienced, therefore posing as another advantage to why a teacher-designed project is more effiecient than a student-designed project.

Although there are more benefits to a teacher designed project, one could argue that a major advantage of a student-designed project is that a project designed by other students is more likely to keep students engaged. This means that a student is more likely to be interested in something another student is conducting rather than something a teacher is conducting. However, based on an article published by

The Washington Post, even though students are more attracted to joining something someone else their age is in charge of, at the end of the day, the students are bound to learn more and have a better experience with someone who can more efficiently guide them and teach them rather than someone who is barely more knowledgeable than the average student. Further psychological studies show that the most common reason for someone not being interested in something is because of the fact that they are unable to understand it. With a teacher-designed course, the teacher can help the student develop an interest in the topic by properly explaining anything that is confusing. However, a student designed course is less likely to assist this problem because as proven earlier, a student is not as capable as a teacher when it comes to helping other students.

Although there are valid arguments that can be made on both sides, there are simply better reasons for a teacher-designed project than a student-designed project. Teachers have more personal experience that can be used as well as better knowledge overall and a more responsible and mature mindset that gives them major advantages that a student-designed project cannot possess. Therefore, a teacher-designed project is beneficial as it allows for a better learning experience, which allows for a more interested student, and that is the final goal.