Web development group: an enterprising campus-based internship program for CS majors

The Web Development Group (WDG) at the University of Rhode Island was formed to provide the university with an experienced group of developers to meet the demands of departments on campus that are in need of web-based software. An equally important goal is to provide the computer science department with a means to deliver to their students a required eight credits and two semesters of practical internship experience (CS 499). This group was formed by the director of campus information and instructional technology services (IITS) in collaboration with the computer science department. A robust industrial business model has been developed to contract, manage, develop, and maintain the group's web-based software products. The students are graduate and undergraduate, and come primarily from the computer science (BS, BA, and MS) and business (MIS and MBA) programs.