How Professor Amanda LeDesma Turns Experiential Learning into the Most Valuable Credit on Campus

Integrating real-world industry projects into academic courses can seem daunting, but Amanda LeDesma, an Assistant Professor of Business Administration at SUNY Potsdam, has proven it’s not only feasible but transformative. LeDesma, a seasoned project manager and educator with 20+ years of professional experience, has dedicated her career to applied learning. Over the past three years, she has integrated live industry projects into at least ten of her courses at SUNY Potsdam, spanning subjects from human resource management and leadership to business ethics and operations. Her hands-on approach, supported by CapSource’s platform, is helping students turn classroom theory into tangible skills that set them apart after graduation. This article distills Amanda’s expert perspective into practical guidance for faculty and academic leaders looking to enhance student learning through industry-integrated experiential projects.

The Power of Industry-Integrated Learning for Students

LeDesma’s experiences echo a broader truth: real-world projects energize students in ways traditional lectures often don’t. By working on authentic business challenges with outside organizations, students become more engaged and active in their learning. They aren’t just absorbing content for a grade, they’re applying knowledge to solve problems, collaborating in teams, and interacting with professionals. As a result, educators observe higher levels of student engagement and deeper comprehension of core concepts. LeDesma notes that students in these projects ask more questions and take initiative, since they can see the real impact of their work.

Importantly, these projects boost student confidence and career readiness. Taking on industry projects helps students build “reference-worthy” experience they can showcase to employers. By the end of a project, LeDesma’s students have tangible accomplishments (like consulting reports, strategic plans, or marketing deliverables) that clarify their career interests and prove their ability to apply classroom knowledge in a professional setting. This clarity of direction and strengthened professional confidence is a transformational outcome of hands-on learning. In LeDesma’s words, “students don’t just graduate with knowledge… they graduate with proof they can apply it”. Students complete projects worth discussing during job interviews, which gives them a distinct edge. It’s clear that project-based learning helps turn passive students into proactive young professionals.

(For a deeper dive into why experiential learning matters, see CapSource’s guide on What is Experiential Learning? which explores how real experiences prepare students for an evolving world of work)

Getting Started: Amanda’s Key Tips for Embedding Real Projects

For educators ready to try industry-integrated projects, LeDesma offers a practical playbook. Her key advice for getting started includes the following:

• Be flexible and adaptable: Real-world projects can be unpredictable, so plan for some fluidity. Expect changes in scope or timeline and adjust as needed. LeDesma emphasizes that unlike static case studies, live projects may evolve, and that’s okay! Build in buffer time and embrace teachable moments when things don’t go perfectly. With thoughtful systems and coaching, any institution can scale experiential learning without massive budgets or multi-semester planning, so start small and stay nimble.
• Scope the project clearly: Up front, define a clear project charter or plan that all parties agree on. Identify the business challenge the students will tackle, the deliverables they must produce, and the roles and expectations for students, faculty, and the company. A well-scoped project keeps everyone on the same page. LeDesma works with industry partners (often with CapSource’s AI-powered scoping tool) to outline the project goals and timeline before the semester begins, ensuring the project is right-sized for the course and timeframe.
• Use milestone-based assessments: Don’t wait until a final presentation to evaluate students. Break the project into milestones (i.e., a research plan, mid-point analysis, and final report) and grade students on these interim deliverables. LeDesma structures her courses so that each phase of the project has a due date and feedback cycle. This approach keeps students accountable and allows her to catch issues early. Milestone grading also mirrors workplace practices (like agile sprints or performance reviews) and helps students continuously improve. It makes assessment more transparent and less stressful than one big capstone deliverable.
• Communicate regularly with the industry partner: Strong communication is key to a successful collaboration. LeDesma recommends scheduling check-ins with the company sponsor throughout the project, not just at the end. Early in the term, a kickoff meeting allows students to ask questions and confirm the project scope. Brief updates or touchpoints mid-project help manage expectations on both sides. By keeping the partner in the loop, you ensure they’re happy with the students’ progress and ready to provide any additional info or course-corrections. It also gives students valuable exposure to professional communication. Essentially, treat the partner like a co-educator: their feedback can inform your guidance, and their engagement will enrich the student experience.

These tips form a foundation that makes the leap into experiential learning much more manageable. As LeDesma’s experience shows, a bit of upfront planning and flexibility goes a long way in avoiding pitfalls.

Integrating Projects into the Course Design

One of Amanda LeDesma’s core messages is that an industry project should be woven into the fabric of the course, not tacked on as an extra. To do this effectively, she aligns each project with her course’s learning objectives and builds it into the syllabus from day one. For example, in her Human Resource Management course, she partnered with a company on a talent development challenge so that the project naturally reinforced concepts from class. Likewise, in a Business Policy Issues and Ethics class she ran a project analyzing corporate policies (in collaboration with an HR tech company) to tie into discussions of ethical decision-making. By choosing projects that map to academic goals, students see the relevance and faculty can still meet their required learning outcomes.

LeDesma also transparently outlines the project in her syllabus and course schedule. The syllabus will describe the project scope, list key milestones/deliverables and their due dates, and explain how each will be assessed. This clarity helps students understand from the start how the experiential component fits into their grade and what is expected. It also signals to academic leaders (department chairs, deans) that the project is an integral part of the curriculum, with rigor and alignment comparable to traditional assignments.

On the practical side, LeDesma embeds the project into SUNY Potsdam’s Brightspace learning management system to keep everything organized. She creates assignment placeholders for each project milestone, uploads any briefing documents or data from the company, and uses discussion boards or team spaces for students to collaborate. All communication, submissions, and feedback flow through the LMS, just like other coursework. By leveraging LMS integrations to manage project logistics, she ensures students and external partners stay coordinated. For instance, if a team must submit a research summary to the partner by mid-semester, that deadline is on Brightspace and reminders go out as usual. This reduces confusion and keeps the collaboration structured.

Crucially, LeDesma treats the project work as an opportunity to teach professional skills. She coaches her students on how to work in teams, communicate professionally, and deal with ambiguity, skills that are sharpened by the project experience. She might run a brief workshop on client communication etiquette or have students reflect on teamwork challenges in journals. By actively guiding students through the project (rather than assuming they’ll figure it all out), she helps them learn how to learn from experience. In her role as facilitator, she provides feedback at each milestone, mediates any team issues (often using peer evaluations to gather insight), and continuously ties the project back to course theory during class discussions. The result is that students feel supported, and the academic rigor of the course is maintained even as they venture into real-world problem solving.

Collaborating with Industry Partners (and Making it Smooth)

Working with external partners can be the scariest part for many faculty, but Amanda LeDesma’s success shows that with the right approach (and support), it’s incredibly rewarding. She has collaborated with a range of partners, from nonprofits to startups, giving her students exposure to different industries and organizational cultures. For example, one of her classes partnered with BoardBuild, a nonprofit focused on board governance, where students helped with capacity planning for the organization. In another course, her students teamed up with RetailStat (an HR technology company) to analyze and benchmark the company’s employee benefits policies, producing recommendations to improve workplace culture. She also led a project with NeoCorp, a manufacturing firm, in which students developed a comprehensive new-hire onboarding process as part of a talent management initiative. These diverse collaborations, spanning HR strategy, leadership development, and operational improvement, enriched her curriculum and kept students highly engaged.

How does one manage these partnerships effectively? LeDesma stresses the importance of setting mutual expectations with the company from the start (often via a written project plan or charter) and maintaining open lines of communication. She treats industry partners as true partners in education, inviting them to meet the class (virtually or in person) to introduce the project, involving them in midway check-ins, and having them attend final student presentations. This not only keeps the partner invested in the process, it also provides students with direct feedback and networking opportunities with professionals. In many cases, company sponsors have been impressed with the results. Some have implemented student suggestions, and a few students have even been offered internship or job opportunities thanks to the positive impression they made during the project.

LeDesma readily acknowledges that she hasn’t done this alone: “CapSource has been instrumental in making these collaborations smooth and impactful”. CapSource’s platform and services acted as a bridge between SUNY Potsdam and industry, so that faculty like LeDesma could focus on teaching rather than cold-calling companies. Through CapSource, she could browse a library of ready-to-run projects and company partners aligned with her course topics, which significantly reduced the time needed to source opportunities. Once she selected a project, CapSource helped coordinate the engagement: providing templates for scoping (the project charters that outline goals, timeline, and deliverables), guiding both the educator and company through best practices in facilitation, and even offering tools for tracking progress and outcomes. Essentially, CapSource served as a matchmaker and project manager, ensuring that the partnership was set up for success from day one.

Moreover, CapSource’s team was available as a support system during the project execution. LeDesma could reach out if any issue arose, and the platform’s built-in features (like easy file sharing and outcome tracking) kept everyone aligned. By simplifying logistics and providing a proven framework for academic-industry collaboration, CapSource enabled LeDesma to “scale without sacrifice,” implementing high-quality experiential projects without needing massive budgets or lead time. SUNY Potsdam’s leadership in applied learning has been amplified by this, allowing even more courses to incorporate live projects.

SUNY Potsdam’s Experiential Learning Journey with CapSource

SUNY Potsdam has emerged as a model for how a university can embrace industry-integrated learning across the board. The campus’s Lougheed Center for Applied Learning has been “leading the charge in experiential education,” championing initiatives like those led by LeDesma. In partnership with CapSource, SUNY Potsdam has facilitated dozens of real-world projects for its students. (In fact, the university’s CapSource partner profile highlights over 50 past projects since joining the platform, spanning multiple departments and disciplines.) This institutional commitment signals a shift toward what CapSource calls becoming an “Experiential Institution” – an ecosystem where hands-on, real-world learning is a core part of the academic mission for all students. By embedding these collaborations into curriculum at scale, Potsdam is not only enhancing student outcomes but also strengthening ties with the community and employers.

Amanda LeDesma’s success is a shining example of SUNY Potsdam’s broader push to provide career-connected education. Her projects with BoardBuild, RetailStat, NeoCorp and others have generated success stories that inspire both colleagues and students on campus. It’s clear that these experiences prepare students to “thrive in an evolving, uncertain world” by building the adaptability and confidence employers seek. They also demonstrate the feasibility of experiential learning in courses of varying sizes and subjects, encouraging more faculty to get involved. As Potsdam continues to scale up its applied learning programs, the partnership with CapSource remains crucial in sourcing quality opportunities and managing the growth efficiently.

(You can explore SUNY Potsdam’s CapSource journey and see specific projects on their partner profile. Additionally, check out CapSource’s blog for other educator stories and case studies, such as a look at The “Experiential Institution” concept and tips on “How to Manage Project-Based Learning” to continue learning about best practices.)

Ready to Bring Experiential Learning to Your Institution?

Amanda LeDesma’s journey offers a roadmap for any educator or institution aiming to bridge the gap between academia and industry. The benefits, from highly engaged students to improved career readiness, are tangible, and with partners like CapSource, the process is easier than ever. If you’re a faculty member or academic leader considering adding real-world projects to your classes, take Amanda’s advice to heart: start with a clear plan, be flexible, communicate often, and focus on aligning projects to what you want students to learn. Even a small pilot project can make a big difference in student engagement.

CapSource is here to help make it happen. As Amanda’s experience shows, having a dedicated platform and support team to find partners and structure collaborations can turn a daunting task into a turnkey process. CapSource has a proven track record of guiding schools from isolated experiments toward becoming experiential learning institutions at scale. So why not you?

Feel free to explore more CapSource success stories and resources on our blog and in our project archive. When you’re ready, we invite you to schedule a meeting with CapSource to discuss how you can design and launch industry-integrated projects tailored to your courses. We’re passionate about helping educators like you evolve teaching and learning through real-world engagement. Together, let’s empower the next generation of students with experiences that truly prepare them to excel after graduation.