text: If a project is to be completed during the summer, it is unlikely that the information that the student must learn is specific to one area. If the knowledge is going to be general, then the focus of the research is unimportant, due to the fact that the basis of the project is to build skills rather than to build knowledge. It would make sense to let the students design the project if the focus is unimportant, because the skills needed for the project, like responsibility and discipline, would still be reinforced regardless. However, if the information that the student must learn is specific to one area, the student-designed process makes even more sense, because a student would better know how they learn then a teacher, which would allow them to create a design that better suites their needs for academic improvement.