School may end when summer starts, but that doesn't mean that a student's learning has to! Today, many teachers assign summer projects to ensure that students continue learning over summer break. However, many are conflicted on whether or not these projects should be student-designed or teacher-designed. Summer projects should be student-designed as this encourages a student to learn independently, be interested in the subject they are researching, and gives them the opportunity to pursue independent topics outside of the restrictions and guidelines of a teacher-designed project.

Without the guidelines and restrictions of a teacher-designed project, students are free to research on their own and create unique summer projects. Assignments given by teachers during the school year usually have a certain set of guidelines and restrictions to ensure that a teacher receives the same type of work from each student. While this may be useful in some situations, it does not encourage independent learning and thinking. Without the basis of guidelines set by a teacher, a student is free to use the project in any way they want and learn about any topic. For example, in biology, I designed a project that determined the effects of humidity on callus tissue production in plants (callus tissue is a tissue that heals cuts in a plant's exterior). This topic was not discussed at all in class but the student-designed layout of the project allowed me to research into any science topic I want and come up with an entire unique project design. Since I was learning this subject independently, I conducted my own research and designed my own experiment, allowing me to gain valuable skills in project-design (a skill that can be useful in the real world too). This student-designed project not only allowed me to research an entire new subject, it also helped me learn valuable skills in project-building and experimentation as I was free of teacher restrictions. Student-designed projects, thus, encourage independent learning and thinking among students.

Student-designed projects allows them to have greater enthusiasm for the topic they choose and study. If students can design their own projects, they would have higher self-motivation for the assignment as they chose what they wanted to do. For example, in school, I am interested in some subjects more than others. Some subjects, such as chemistry, are a hassle for me and I, personally, do not find any interest in studying it. Because of this, if I were assigned a summer-long project on chemistry, I would definitely not be fully invested and would be quite reserved and unenthusiastic about the project. However, if I were allowed to freely choose the topic of my project, I could choose a subject that I more thoroughly enjoyed, such as world history, and thus, be more enthusiastic about the project and spend my summer studying something that I love. Without the restrictions of a teacher-designed project, a student could spend their summer pursuing a subject they enjoy and, thus, produce a better project and also would feel that the project was less of a burden as well.

Student-designed projects allow them to foster interests in other subjects outside of school. Student-designed projects means that the project can be about any subject and can be made in any way. This gives students a platform to make a project about their passion or an entirely new hobby or subject that they are interested in. For example, I once spent a summer learning how to program as it was a relatively new subject to me. The idea of being able to assign a computer a task and it being able to respond back to me was quite interesting and, because of this, I was quite invested in the assignment and spent my summer learning something completely new. Students could experience the same thing by spending the summer learning about a new subject that may end up becoming a passion or hobby for them. With this, they learn new things and spend their summer doing something that they enjoy and may continue to enjoy throughout the rest of the year. Because of this, student-designed projects allow students to pursue potential passions outside of the restrictions of teacher-based projects.

Student-designed projects are an excellent way to ensure that a student is learning throughout their summer. They encourage a student to learn and think independently and and be interested in the subject they are researching which can lead to a passion to develop in a subject. These projects are also excellent in removing the burden from a teacher-designed project and the restrictions that come along with it. Most importantly, it reduces the stress a student may have and their summer to be what it should be-- taking a break and enjoying yourself.