Recently, we ran an idea project that brought together Ideasicle Experts and students from Texas State University to collaborate virtually. One student, Jason Lovejoy, was so impressed by his experience that he introduced me to his professor, Sage Baker, a Lecturer in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Texas State. Jason believed our platform could be an excellent tool for university collaboration. We set up a meeting with the three of us, and here’s what happened.

IX Collegiate (working title)

I used our current IX Embedded presentation as a foundation for our discussion. IX Embedded allows ad agencies to brand the platform, create super teams by uploading employees and freelancers, and sell “idea projects” as standalone products. But for this meeting, I tailored the concept for the university setting.

I mocked up a Texas State Idea Portal, drawing inspiration from the university’s home page:

After Jason shared his positive experience, I explained how IX Collegiate could work at a university level. A university administrator could manage a Master Command Center (see below), overseeing the design, inviting professors, monitoring activity, and centralizing billing.

For professors, an IX Collegiate Idea Portal would allow them to:

• Upload and remove students as needed.

• Assign students to collaborative teams.

• Monitor multiple teams’ progress from one dashboard and provide feedback to the teams in real-time.

• Grade students based on participation and contribution, with a permanent record for review.

• Assign TAs to manage assignments, if desired.

Then, I listened to their feedback.

It’s like an idea lab.

Both Sage and Jason saw tremendous potential for IX Collegiate, especially in the advertising program at the university, for obvious reasons—Ideasicle X was born out of advertising. But they noted how prevalent “project-based learning” is across all subjects.

Engineering classes have teams collaborating, as do science classes, English classes, philosophy classes, all of them. Not to mention graduate classes where collaboration may happen between grad students and experts in their fields from far away places. IX Collegiate would make it easier than ever to do.

Not to mention virtual collaboration allows for asynchronous idea generation, so busy students can contribute and engage with each other when it’s convenient for them.

Further, Sage highlighted that many schools are already operating in hybrid models. She felt that IX Collegiate could seamlessly support this kind of virtual teamwork.

However, a few questions arose:

• Team Size Flexibility: Currently, our platform defaults to four-person teams, which we found ideal for advertising projects. Sage suggested that flexibility would be important, as different assignments might require teams of varying sizes. We’ll ensure IX Collegiate allows customization of team sizes.

• Integration with Canvas: Sage recommended integrating with Canvas, a widely-used LMS (Learning Management System, or a software platform used to manage, deliver, and track educational courses or training programs). After speaking with our development team, I’m happy to report that this integration is feasible.

• Branding: While I expected customization with school colors and logos to be a big draw, Sage and Jason were more excited by the platform’s capabilities than its branding options. This feedback will inform how we position the product.

So, would they use IX Collegiate?

After our meeting, I asked both Jason and Sage to think about what I shared and then provide me with a quote to capture their reactions. Here’s exactly what they provided:

Sage Baker

Lecturer, Texas State School of Journalism and Mass Communication

“At Texas State and perhaps with other higher education institutions, we are well aware that we are in service of our students-- in service of helping them build real skills to get real jobs once they graduate. Tools and platforms like IX Collegiate would allow us to design work and assignments that give them real-world experience in collaborating, in building those idea generation and collaboration muscles. I can see IX Collegiate as the go-to collaboration platform in my advertising and strategic planning courses. I am always looking for ways to engage students, all kinds of students, in the collaborative and creative process.”

Jason Lovejoy

Advertising student at Texas State University

"As a current student at Texas State University, I believe that a tool like IX Collegiate would greatly facilitate the ideation process while learning in many aspects. Having a platform that not only encourages creativity but makes it easier to create and brainstorm through others is something that I think many students would deem very valuable."

From a meeting to a trial at Texas State University

Needless to say I am greatly encouraged. Our plan at this point is for Texas State to conduct a trial when we get IX Collegiate developed. It won’t be long, as we’re currently developing IX Embedded, which carries with it many of the IX Collegiate features.

We’re excited.

But please forward to any professors or administrators at colleges (big or small) or universities. I’d love to share the concept with them and get more reactions and potential beta testers.

Will Burns is the Founder & CEO of the revolutionary virtual-idea-generating company, Ideasicle X. He’s an advertising veteran from such agencies as Wieden & Kennedy, Goodby Silverstein, Arnold Worldwide, and Mullen. He was a Forbes Contributor for nine years writing about creativity in modern branding. Sign up for the Ideasicle Newsletter and never miss a post like this.