Dr. David L. Soltz, President
Carver Hall
400 East Second Street
Bloomsburg, PA 17815-1301
Dear Dr. Soltz:
A team of students from our university, Bloomsburg University, wishes to make an overnight educational trip to the office of Google Inc in New York. It would be the endeavor of this team to experience firsthand the culture and working methodology of a company which has its operations spread over all parts of the world. The team wishes to pay special focus on the strategies that are adopted to manage computer applications and web based applications. Also, the team wishes to observe and study the server system that the company adopts and what changes have been made to it in the past two years.
Currently the students at the Computer Science Department here at the Bloomsburg University have only studied and worked with applications and servers that are available in the university computer lab. This would be the first time that they would get an opportunity to see how the knowledge that they have been working on in college is applied in real time in the real world. They would also get a chance to see and understand what changes have come about in technology. As part of the project each member of the team would make observations and prepare an individual report which would be submitted to the head of the computer science department of the university and the professor in charge. If the company so wishes, a summary of all the key points of these reports can also be shared with their management team in New York.
It would perhaps be most convenient if the university can grant permission for the arrangement of this trip and also ask that a member of the company be allotted to the students during their educational trip so that they can be given proper orientation and guided around the office. Please find further details about the proposed trip in the following pages.
Introduction
The Computer Science Department at the Bloomsburg University has a well appointed and state of the art computer lab where students pursuing various degrees in the field of computers and software development can work on projects and learn about development and maintenance of computer servers with thorough practical knowledge. The principles that are applicable in this field of work are taught to the students through dedicated course materials and supplementary reading material. The students are also offered an opportunity to prepare original software and applications through projects and assignments to test their understanding of the basics. At the university, every possible support is extended to the students to ensure that they have the best resources at hand to supplement their knowledge.
However, practical knowledge needs to be supported with working knowledge of these things which can be gained only when the students get a chance to see the use of the computer software and applications in a real time company where it can be seen how consumers and end users react to the same. An education trip to the offices of Google Inc would be most helpful to the students to understand the working of all things that they have learnt so far as a part of their course.
Current Situation
The team of students that would be visiting the offices of Google Inc comprises of second year students who are pursuing courses in computer science at the university. So far the students have studied basic computer programming languages and are familiar with the basic usage and setting up of computer servers. Although the students have studied with models of servers at the university and worked with basic servers at the university computer lab, they have not seen an advanced server or worked with an entire range of servers as are employed by companies like Google. The students have prepared models and assignments on computer servers as a part of the curriculum and are familiar with the basics of this technology. Currently, the students have been asked to prepare a project in which they are required to propose certain changes that can be done to server models to make them more energy efficient and to be able to store more data with easier maintenance. The students have to focus on any one these parameters while making their project.
Proposed project plan
As stated earlier, the main purpose of this proposal is to send students of the second year of computer science department to the New York offices of Google Inc for a one day educational trip. During this one day the students would visit the office, meet with the management team and the development team and also with the team that is responsible for the management and maintenance of the computer servers. The main purpose of this visit is to familiarize the students with the ways in which companies manage web applications and software on a large scale so that people and end users from all over the world can make use of them at the same point of time.
On arrival at the office, the students would begin their education tour with a short orientation of the operations of the company i.e. Google Inc which would be followed by a short introduction by managers of each department about the role that their department plays and the key responsibilities of the department. This would help the students in understanding how integral each part of the organization is in ensuring that the work is done smoothly. The orientation process would be followed by a visit of the students to the office where they can see the members working. Each student can be allotted to one team or member where they can observe, in a real office scenario, how the work related to web applications and various other interests of Google is completed. The students would simply observe and ask questions or doubts where they feel they are not able to follow. This would be followed for the first half of the day.
During the second half of the day it is proposed that the students should be given a small orientation or training about the use, application, development and maintenance of servers. This would be followed by a visit to the server room where students can see and observe firsthand how work is done. On conclusion of this educational trip the students would return back to the university campus where they would prepare a detailed report of their educational visit and the observations that they made during the two days. These observations will include what the students felt individually about the work culture at Google and what their observations were about each department and its key responsibilities. They would include observations about the teams or individuals they shadow and their working methods. This would be followed by some suggestions that the students feel would help the company and its members in reducing cost, improving efficiency or even, from an organizational behavior point of view, in improving the collaboration between the teams.
If the management of the company deems fit, then the observations and suggestions of the students can be shared with them in a summarized form or a presentation can be arranged where the company representatives can hear what the students felt about this educational trip. The main purpose however, remain to enrich the experience of the students and to make them see how theoretical knowledge is applied in the real world.
Review of Qualifications
The team of students who would be traveling to New York to visit the Google office comprises of all undergraduate students who have completed the first year of their study. They are familiar with basic programming languages for software and application development, testing and running the software. They have been taught about the basics of server management, the role it plays in the information technology industry and the various applications that are required to maintain a server system. The students are also familiar with some of the basic forms and types of servers though it is possible that they are not familiar with the advanced models.
Benefits of the educational trip
The benefit that the university seeks through this educational trip is to introduce the students of the computer science department to how a prominent company in the information technology works. These students are majoring in software development and information technology applications. A visit to a workplace would help them understand the application of the knowledge that they have been and will be gathering during their time at Bloomsburg University. Also this experience would play a significant part in preparing them about what to expect when they complete their graduation and enter the corporate world. This would also give the university a chance to make ay additions or changes to the computer lab of the department based on the suggestions of the students if any machine in the lab has become obsolete or any technology has become outdated. The university could also utilize this opportunity to review the course curriculum and see if any changes or additions are needed to be made for the benefit of the students.
Along with exposure as to the technical aspect of things the students hope to gain, there would also be a valuable learning experience about management and team building through their observation. This would be beneficial for them as this trip would lay the foundations for good managerial skills in the students. This would also be a good opportunity for the students to interact with the human resources department of the company and learn about the practices followed in the company and the industry.
Total Budget Breakdown
A team of five students has prepared a budget that would cover the cost of travel of all the students to New York, food expenses and travel to and from the office of Google Inc. The estimated budget has been prepared as follows:
This is an estimate that the students have prepared based on the current rates. The students will leave campus by 6 am in the morning to be able to reach New York and the Google office by 9 am. Also they wish to leave New York by 7 pm and reach back to the university by 11 pm in the night. In this manner the students will have 10 hours which they can spend at the Google office.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What arrangements need to be made for the students at the Google office?
A. Only the arrangement for lunch for the five students needs to be made, the payment for which will be made by the students. If, apart from this, the company wishes to provide the students with souvenirs or any memento, that will be at the discretion of the company.
Q. Will the students require a guide or a mentor at all times during their trip?
A. No person needs to be attached with the students at all times. Only when the students would be shadowing a team or a member should they be allocated to a mentor who can guide them and clear their doubts.
Q. Will the report the students prepare be shared with the company?
A. If the management requests then it will be shared.
Q. Who will be funding the expenses for this trip? Does the university need to contribute?
A. Any amount of sponsorship from the university would be welcome however, the students have all agreed to bear their own expenses.
Conclusion
The students who will travel to New York to visit the offices of Google Inc are doing so with the expectation that they will get to learn something and enrich their knowledge. And this is the main purpose behind sending the students on this educational trip. Their experience will be valuable not only for their own growth but also for the university as they will share their experiences. We feel this will bring something new to the program that we students are pursing and help us see how work is done in large scale information technology companies.
