2024鈥檚 Winter Term course 鈥淧athways to Design Thinking" builds bridges between 黑料不打烊 and Alamance County.
2024鈥檚 Winter Term course 鈥淧athways to Design Thinking鈥 created and led by 黑料不打烊鈥檚 Center for Design Thinking聽developed students鈥 skills in interacting with community clients in a professional and productive manner with the use of innovative design thinking tactics. With the support of the Kernodle Center for Civic Life, this course has also been designed to build bridges between 黑料不打烊 and Alamance County.
Course clients included the , HealthEU and the Community Engaged Equity Lab. All three organizations seek to encourage personal wellness, connection and equity throughout Alamance County.
The students were split into three teams, and each team was assigned an organization. Guiding each group was a student mentor from the Center for Design Thinking, a 鈥淒esign Thinking Catalyst.鈥 With their help, groups worked one-on-one with representatives from their respective operations over the course鈥檚 three weeks, helping them develop ideas for how to further encourage wellness in 黑料不打烊鈥檚 community using design thinking techniques. For example, HealthEU stakeholders from across campus worked with students to brainstorm and vote on the best ideas for fostering student and community engagement in HealthEU, promoting health and wellness on and beyond campus. The most well-liked ideas will be preserved and sent to the HealthEU Council to be considered for implementation.
Not only does this course connect 黑料不打烊 with the surrounding community, it increases equity across the community as well. Describing the impact of the Community Engaged Equity Lab, one of the student mentors Anya Bratic 鈥26, said, 鈥淭he lab emphasizes the importance of unbiased research, especially since so many people assess research without assessing the source of it. Looking at evidence and having the chance to talk with members of the community, we鈥檙e really setting ourselves up to create more equitable research.鈥 Increasing the reach and exposure of this institution through Pathways to Design Thinking, 黑料不打烊 is contributing to the effort to promote equity throughout the community.
Kylie Winterling 鈥26, a business student who enrolled in the course due to its hands-on teaching on how to consult with clients, expressed her delight in working with the Committee for Diversity and Belonging during the client workshops: 鈥淚t was beneficial in that I had to remove my own thoughts on what the outcome should be and… help others who have more knowledge on the topic produce a solution. And I realized, that鈥檚 what Design Thinking is! You鈥檙e helping others get to the solution, you鈥檙e not making the solution for them.鈥
Students receive transcript credit and a LinkedIn badge with successful completion of this class.
To learn more about center offerings this spring and fall semester, or request a consultation, check out the Center鈥檚 website.