There is only one way to top a semester spent creating marketing plans for the Red Sox Foundation … presenting them at Fenway Park. Students in Professor Young-Tae Kim’s sport marketing class did just that, sharing their final proposals with three members of the Foundation’s programming team inside the storied home of the Boston Red Sox.

Kim’s students embarked on the semester-long project with two aims: create a new program for the Red Sox Foundation that will raise funds and have a positive impact on local Boston communities, and generate a marketing plan to go along with it. At several points throughout the semester, Foundation Director of Programs Brad Schoonmaker supported the class with feedback on their plans. Schoonmaker and Kim have collaborated on this Connected Learning project since 2019, with the goal of expanding project-based learning (PBL) opportunities for students to better understand marketing through real-world, professional assignments.

At Fenway, the groups received notes from Schoonmaker and his team — an exercise that Kim placed heavy importance on.

“This is all about how you take the feedback and accept the coaching,” he said. The Foundation team provided suggestions for the students’ marketing plans and event ideas, as well as input on their presentation delivery.

“The work that you put in was really excellent, and that is so appreciated,” said Schoonmaker to the students. “I feel really strongly about experiential learning and I hope that you got more out of this semester by [working with us on] a real-life experience.”

In the coming months, Kim, Schoonmaker, Assistant Professor of Writing Sara Large, and Associate Professor of Psychology Sarahbeth Golden will delve into the project’s success with a research study, “Lived Experience of Performing Real-World Projects: A Phenomenological Approach.”