Research shows that students who are engaged in their academic work are motivated by the need to succeed, need for self-expression, personal curiosity, and desire to fostering positive peer relationships. Engaging assignments help shape their understanding, allow them to explore their creative side, while interacting and teaming up with their peers. In this paper, we present a comparative study of various approaches and partnerships for teaching hands-on engineering classes, including the pros and cons of technology students partnering with industry, non-profit organizations, or interdisciplinary school collaborations vs. traditional in-class course assignments. The findings are based on a survey conducted among undergraduate and graduate students at Fairfield University. The focus group consisted of a mix of students who have worked with either one or more organizations as part of their academic work. The study also focuses on the issues and challenges while working with various organizations, and the results are presented from the students' perspective.