How do I participate in the Academy?

Intern participation in an Academy session is structured around three phases. Interns are expected to complete all three phases of an Academy session over an approximately six week period. During this period, Interns are expected to engage in Academy activities (see below) with other community members while working independently toward their own performance goals. Click here if you are interested in registering as an Academy Intern.

The following pages highlight the objectives and key activities that comprise each of the three phases of an Academy session.

Phase 1: Set Your Drupal Performance Goals (Week 1)

Objective - Phase 1: The objective of Phase 1 is to establish and document your personal Drupal performance goals and objectives. Over the first week of the session, contemplate and document the following within the Intern Forum:

  • Your Current Performance: Where are you today with regard to your use and knowledge of Drupal? Have you ever installed a Drupal site?
  • Your Desired Performance: Where you want to be six weeks from now? Do you want to use Drupal to create a personal web site, a community space or an e-commerce site? Be specific as you document your goals as there are likely others out there who either share a common goal or have already tackled the problem.
  • Your Road Map: What actions will you commit to in order to take your performance from where it is today to your desired performance goal? Do you think you will need a little or a lot of help and support from the community? Consider this road map to be a contract with yourself, as well as the others in the community. Be specific in contemplating what it is going to take to get you to your performance goals. Consider how you plan to use the resources available to you, including the weekly live web casts, the discussion forum, your peers in the Academy, your own Drupal “sandbox” installation, as well as links to outside sources.

Key Activities - Phase 1: Interns are expected to complete the following activities to satisfy the objectives of this Phase:

  • Sandbox: Interns will set up a sandbox on either the WorldBridges network or on a site hosted elsewhere.
  • Forum: Interns will document their personal goals by completing the activity in the Intern Forum (see Intern Forum – Phase 1). Academy mentors will review the forum posts and provide feedback and guidance. Academy Interns are encouraged to review and reply to the forum posts of their peers.
  • Live Web Cast: Interns will be expected to either participate in the live weekly web sessions or review the session recordings.

Phase 2: Work toward your Drupal performance goals (Weeks 2 - 5)

Objective - Phase 2: The objectives of Phase 2 are to:

  1. Work toward achieving the individual performance goals laid out in Phase 1,
  2. Share experiences with others in the Academy, and
  3. Provide support to your peers.

Key Activities - Phase 2: Interns are expected to complete the following activities to satisfy the objectives of this Phase:     

Sandbox: Interns will work toward developing their web site based on their individual performance goals.

Forum Discussion: Interns will share their progress and seek help from peers and mentors within the Intern Forum established for Phase 2. They will also read and respond to the Intern Forum posts of other Academy Interns.

Live Web Casts: Interns are encouraged to participate in all live web sessions. However, as this may not be possible, interns are asked to review the session recordings. During the live sessions, Interns will be asked to:

  • Share: Provide the group with a brief summary of what has been learned during the week, the progress toward performance goals, and the areas where additional support and guidance is needed from the community.
  • Showcase: Showcase the web site at least once during the six weeks.
  • Facilitate: Facilitate a portion of the discussion in a live session at lease once during the six weeks to present something new to the group or to facilitate a discussion with a Drupal Power User.

Phase 3: Reflect Upon and Recap Your Achievements (Week 6)

Objective - Phase 3: The objectives of Phase 3 are to:

  1. Complete your project based on the performance goals set out in Phase 1, and
  2. Document your progress.

Key Activities - Phase 3: Interns are expected to complete the following activities to satisfy the objectives of this Phase:

  • Sandbox: Interns will complete their web sites to meet the performance goals set out in Phase 1.
  • Forum Discussion: Interns will share their final reflections with peers in the Intern Forum for Phase 3 and read and respond to the Forum posts of other Academy Interns.
  • Live Web Casts: Interns are encouraged to participate in a live web session this week to share their experiences and showcase their sites. 
  • Resources: Interns are encouraged to complete or contribute to a Drupal Survival Guide to document their Academy session. The Drupal Survival Guide should include:
    • A description of your project,
    • The Drupal modules and customization choices you made to complete your project, and
    • Hints, tips and suggestions for those who come after you.