Higher education tends to build
for rather than design
with students, faculty, and other stakeholders. As a result, it sometimes misses the mark in providing learning and service experiences.
As the types of students and the needs of their communities change in response to demographic, technology, and workforce shifts, colleges and universities must focus more sharply on the needs and dreams of members of their communities. Mindsets and methods from human-centered design can help.
This four-session workshop will help leaders and practitioners employ a powerful set of tools to enhance experiences. Participants will practice what they learn between sessions by developing a human-centered problem statement; using the discovery process to better understand the actions, thoughts, and feelings of a key stakeholder; building a map of their experience; and identifying opportunities for innovation and improvement.
Learning Objectives
After completing this workshop, participants will:
- Understand the mindsets and methods of human-centered design applied to higher education experiences
- Be able to generate problem statements solvable using design thinking methods
- Utilize empathy and user experience journey mapping to better understand the actions, thoughts, and feelings of students, staff, and faculty and to plan interventions to optimize their experiences
- Apply empathy and journey maps to a real institutional problem in order to generate solution opportunities
Who Should Attend
Leaders at all experience levels can benefit from this workshop and have an important role to play in instilling design thinking mindsets across the institution. Institutions can greatly benefit from sending a team to participate in the workshop, allowing for cross-disciplinary and cross-functional solutions for their institution’s toughest problems.