Would it be useful to try directing the (potential) students here to ask questions/show they can answer?
Can be either to show they know something about civi, to show they can ask questions, to discuss the design...
Suggestions welcome
I think that feature request discussions / roadmapping are off-topic as they don't fit the format of a Q&A site.
But I like the idea of encouraging students to gain some rep on this site asking and answering general knowledge questions about Civi.