Projects Library

Learning That Students Remember

Every project on this page follows the same arc: a real challenge, something created, and a moment of going public — where the student becomes the teacher. That last step is what makes the learning stick.

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Real challenge
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2
Create something
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3
Go public

12 projects — each one ends with the student going public.

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Project 1 of 12

The Living Museum

Students research someone remarkable, become them, and teach strangers.

The challenge

Each student selects a historical figure, innovator, artist, or leader — and becomes them for a day. They research deeply, build a costume or visual representation, develop a script, and then "come to life" for visitors who come to their museum.

Why it works

Research becomes personal when you have to inhabit it. Students must understand their subject well enough to answer questions in character from people they've never met. The creative work — the costume, the props, the presentation — deepens the learning.

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How it ends: going public

Students perform for classmates, parents, other grades, or community visitors. Real strangers ask real questions. The student must answer in character — which means they have to know.

Get started

Start with the question "Who do you want to become for a day?" Let students use research tools freely — including AI — to find someone they're genuinely curious about.

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Project 2 of 12

Community Challenge Sprint

Identify a real local problem. Design a real solution. Present it to people who can act on it.

The challenge

Students identify a genuine challenge in their school, neighborhood, or community — something they care about. They research it, develop empathy for those affected, generate ideas, prototype the best solution, and present it to stakeholders.

Why it works

The problem is real. The audience has actual power to act on the solutions. This changes everything about how students approach the work.

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How it ends: going public

Teams present to community leaders, local nonprofits, school administrators, or a panel with real decision-making power. Sometimes the work actually gets implemented.

Get started

Begin with a community walk or listening session. Have students interview people who experience the problem they want to solve. Let the empathy come before the ideation.

Note: Lead for Change — the national USA Today program designed by Darin Eich — is an example of this model at scale, where students tackle hunger and community challenges with real impact.
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Project 3 of 12

Genius Hour / Passion Project

What do you actually want to learn? Now go learn it — and make something.

The challenge

Students spend a set amount of class time (often one period per week, or a dedicated block) pursuing a self-chosen question or project. The only rule: you have to create something, not just research something.

Why it works

Intrinsic motivation changes everything. When a student chooses the question, they bring a level of engagement that no assignment can replicate. Many students have never been asked "what do you want to learn?" before.

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How it ends: going public

The semester ends with an exhibition — students present their work to parents, peers, and community members who didn't assign it. Feedback is real. Pride is real.

Get started

Give students a week just to generate questions before they commit to one. The first question is rarely the right one — encourage iteration.

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Project 4 of 12

Shark Tank / Innovation Pitch

Develop a real idea. Build the case. Pitch it to judges who will tell you the truth.

The challenge

Students develop a product, service, or social enterprise from scratch. They define a real problem, research who experiences it, design a solution, build a simple prototype, and pitch it to a panel of external judges.

Why it works

Real feedback from people outside the classroom changes the standard students hold themselves to. The pitch format forces clarity, confidence, and genuine understanding of the idea.

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How it ends: going public

A pitch event with external judges — local entrepreneurs, business leaders, community members, or even a real panel of potential users. The stakes feel real because they are.

Get started

Invite a local entrepreneur or business owner to be a judge from the start. Tell students who they'll be pitching to. Watch the quality of the work change.

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Project 5 of 12

Place as Story

Research a place, culture, or era — then build something that tells its story.

The challenge

Instead of writing a report about a state, country, historical period, or culture, students must create something that tells its story to an audience. A parade float. A museum exhibit. A documentary short. A live performance. The medium is up to them.

Why it works

The constraint of "make something you could show someone" forces genuine synthesis. Students can't just summarize Wikipedia — they have to understand the material well enough to translate it into a new form.

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How it ends: going public

Presented to other students, parents, or community members. The work travels beyond the classroom. People come to see it.

Get started

Show examples of what "telling a place's story" could look like. A state parade float. A country market. A historical newspaper. Then let students propose their own medium.

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Project 6 of 12

Documentary & Oral History

Find someone whose story deserves to be heard. Capture it. Share it.

The challenge

Students identify community members — elders, veterans, business owners, activists, artists — interview them, document their stories, and produce a short documentary, oral history recording, or multimedia archive.

Why it works

Students practice empathy, deep listening, and synthesis. The subject is a real person with a real story. The product has genuine value beyond the classroom — sometimes it's the only record of a story that would otherwise be lost.

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How it ends: going public

Screened or shared with the subjects, their families, the school community, or local historical societies. Sometimes published or archived.

Get started

Begin with the people students already know — grandparents, neighbors, local figures. The best stories are often closer than they think.

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Project 7 of 12

Design Your Future

Use design thinking to figure out who you're becoming — and share it with the people who care most.

The challenge

Students reflect on their strengths, curiosities, and significant experiences. They use design thinking tools to prototype multiple possible futures — not one right answer, but several genuine paths. Then they communicate their thinking to an audience.

Why it works

Most students are asked where they want to go to college, not who they want to become. This asks the better question. The design thinking process makes it concrete without making it definitive.

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How it ends: going public

Presented to a small, trusted group — parents, mentors, teachers, or advisors — who offer genuine perspective and encouragement. Not a grade. A conversation.

Get started

Connects to the Create Your Path course at learn.innovationcourses.org. Start with the question: "What experiences have shaped you most — and what do they suggest about who you're becoming?"

Explore the Create Your Path course →
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Project 8 of 12

Real Brief, Real Client

A real organization has a real problem. Your team's job is to solve it.

The challenge

A local business, nonprofit, or organization provides the class with a genuine design brief — a real challenge they're facing. Teams research the problem, develop empathy for those affected, ideate, prototype, and present their best solution back to the client.

Why it works

The client is real. The feedback is honest. The possibility that the work might actually be used changes how seriously students take every stage of the process.

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How it ends: going public

A formal presentation to the client organization. Sometimes the work gets implemented. Sometimes students form ongoing relationships with the organization.

Get started

Reach out to a local organization whose work students care about. Most nonprofits and small businesses have genuine challenges they'd be grateful for help thinking through.

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Project 9 of 12

National History Day

Research a historical theme, create something — documentary, exhibit, performance, or website — and compete nationally.

The challenge

Students select a historical topic connected to that year's national theme. They spend months researching, then produce one of five formats: a documentary film, a historical paper, an exhibit, a performance, or a website. The best compete at regional, state, and national competitions.

Why it works

The multi-month commitment develops genuine expertise. The five format options let students find the form that fits how they think and communicate. Competing with peers from across the country raises the standard naturally.

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How it ends: going public

Presented to panels of historians and educators at regional competitions — then, for the best, at state and national competitions hosted at the University of Maryland. Nearly 3,000 students compete nationally.

Get started

Visit nhd.org. The annual theme gives students a framework, and the five categories mean every type of learner has a path.

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Project 10 of 12

The Senior Capstone

The culminating project — a student's chance to apply everything they've learned to something that actually matters.

The challenge

Students identify a topic, question, or challenge they genuinely care about. Over a semester or full year, they research it deeply, create something meaningful in response — an original project, a prototype, a performance, a research paper, a business plan — and present it publicly.

Why it works

The capstone asks the question high school rarely asks: "What do you know, and what can you do with it?" Students who complete a meaningful capstone often describe it as the most important thing they did in school.

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How it ends: going public

Presented to a panel that typically includes teachers, community members, and sometimes professionals in the relevant field. The best capstone presentations are conversations, not just reports.

Get started

The most important design decision is the question. Help students find the intersection of something they care about, something the world needs, and something they can actually investigate.

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Project 11 of 12

Service Learning with Reflection

Community service + structured reflection + a final presentation of what changed.

The challenge

Students engage in structured community service — not just volunteering, but learning. They research the issue they're serving, reflect throughout the experience, and conclude by presenting what they learned and how their thinking changed.

Why it works

Service without reflection is just activity. The combination of direct experience + research + structured reflection is what makes service learning transformative. Students often describe it as the first time they really understood a social issue.

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How it ends: going public

A final presentation — often to parents, community partners, or the organizations they served — where students share not just what they did, but what they learned and what they'd do differently.

Get started

Choose a community partner who will treat students as real contributors, not just volunteers. The best partnerships are ones where the organization genuinely benefits from the students' presence.

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Project 12 of 12

The Hackathon

A timed team challenge to build something real, solve something hard, and present it before the clock runs out.

The challenge

Teams of students tackle a defined problem — technical, social, creative, or entrepreneurial — within a tight time frame (typically 12–48 hours). They research, brainstorm, prototype, and present a working solution or proof of concept by the deadline.

Why it works

Time pressure eliminates perfectionism and forces decisions. Teams have to collaborate under constraint — which reveals who people really are. The intensity of a hackathon creates a shared experience that teams remember for years.

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How it ends: going public

Every team presents to judges at the end. The format is fast, high-energy, and real. Many hackathons are open to anyone — meaning students compete and collaborate with people outside their school.

Get started

Many regional and national hackathons are open to high school students — including events at MIT, NASA's Space Apps Challenge, and dozens of local competitions. A school can also run its own one-day hackathon with a teacher-designed brief.

Ready to go deeper?

Bring design thinking into your school

Darin works with schools, districts, and educational organizations to design programs and train educators. Whether you want a one-day workshop or a multi-year program, start with a conversation.

Design Thinking for Schools For Educators