An ideal APP project should meet the following criteria:

1. The potential to meet the learning goals of the APP sequence (see above)

2. Addresses a public policy problem

• Market or government failure or both
• No business plans (e.g. recommending purchasing one software package vs another)

3. Allows the student some professional leeway to shape the final product(s)

• Project is not simply the execution of an existing plan.

4. Facilitates access to resources (data, client buy-in/time, access to other policy actors, site visits, etc.) that allow the student to help the client make progress on the problem.

5. Scope of the project is appropriate for a 6-credit course with 2nd year MPP skills.

6. Engages students at their professional growth edge

• Students have or can gain the substantive knowledge and skills needed to help the client make progress on their problem
• APP faculty can support the project

7. Is meaningful to students

• Students care about the policy problem and the people impacted by it.
• Students can develop professional networks, substantive expertise or skill expertise that helps them in their careers.

8. Uses non-classified data and the findings can be posted on the Batten IPAs/APPs Collab site.

Projects typically involve a specific type of public policy problem where organizations are looking to make progress on current or future public policy challenges where the path forward is unclear. Projects are a good fit for our process when students can provide policy solutions and analyze their costs and benefits.

Past APP Projects are linked here and have included:

• Addressing Workforce Development Challenges Inhibiting the United States’ Industrial Thermal Energy Transition
• Addressing High Teacher Turnover Rates in Virginia Child Care Centres
• Expanding Access to Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptives in Virginia

Due to the nature of this program, learners will be deciding which employer partnership to pursue. Although matches may be made on the Riipen platform, these matches will be confirmed with the learner selections before the project start date.

Because students need to engage in scoping, researching, and generating and recommending solutions to a public policy challenge, projects that only engage in part of this process are not a good fit for the APP. Examples of projects that are not a good fit include:

• Business strategies for for-profit organizations.
• Fundraising or funding source strategies.
• Gathering information about existing policies without looking for solutions.
• Standalone literature review production.
• Organizing and conducting a survey.
• Guidance on organizational structure or current policy implementation.
• Understanding the causes of a problem without looking for solutions.