Work on a real question
Give people a project or case to work through, then discuss how they reached their recommendation.
← All projectsBuilding a student collective / 02
Initiative · Applied learning
TheStratX.
A place to practise before you have all the answers.
Active collective
I helped build TheStratX so students could work through real questions together, get feedback on their thinking, and have another go. Projects, case competitions, peer review, and mentorship are all part of it.
Read the storyAn illustrative workbench · Brief → evidence → review → revision
01 / Why I worked on this
Knowing the framework is only the beginning.
Students learn frameworks in class, but don’t always get enough chances to use them on real problems.
I wanted more chances to use what I was learning in class. TheStratX brings together projects, case discussions, competitions, peer review, and mentorship. Members can take part in whichever activities are useful to them.
My contribution
I helped develop a consulting group where students work on projects together and learn from peers and mentors.
01
The question
Can another person explain the decision this work is trying to support?
02
The evidence
Which points have support, and which still rest on an assumption?
03
The next draft
What should the team change after this conversation?
Decide what to change in the next draft.
Example review questions. These are not taken from a client project.
02 / Developing the idea
Bring a draft. Leave with something to work on.
01
Bring
A question and a first draft.
02
Discuss
The evidence and assumptions.
03
Revise
What the discussion changed.
An example of how a review can work, not a fixed sequence for every activity.
Share the draft early
Put a draft in front of peers or a mentor while there is still time to change it. Tie the feedback to the argument, evidence, or recommendation on the page.
Let people find their way in
Let a member join through a project, a case room, a competition, a review session, or mentorship, then choose what is useful next.
03 / My reasoning
The choices behind the collective.
01Give people work to do
I wanted members to leave with work they had made and feedback they could use.
02Offer different ways to join in
Some people want to work on a project. Others want to practise a case or get advice from a mentor.
03Look at what changed
After a review, I would look at what the team changed in its work and whether it could explain why.
04 / Where it stands
Built to be used. Still learning what works.
The collective is live at thestratx.com, with members across several institutions. I want to see whether people return for another brief and whether their work improves after review. Those are the questions I would use to judge its progress.
Progress so far. TheStratX is running as a consulting group led by students from several institutions.
What I’m taking into the next version
- People need a reason to come back and something useful to work on when they do.
- It is easier to give useful feedback when there is a draft in front of you.
- Members should know how to get involved and who they can ask for help.