One of  my  favorite "projects" is in  my Pathology class.  It always falls around Halloween and I allow my students to choose a pathological condition  to do an oral presentation on, but the representation muct be a food item, after which we all get to EAT....  love those sebaceous cysts cream cheese danishes. I don't assign the "condition" or the food item. It is the most popular assignment in  the massage program at the college I teach and after taking this  course I believe the autonomy of the assignment enhances it's success.