Impact by Design

We innovate in education to generate positive change, to address inequities, and to create opportunities. In T522 students will work through a sequence of deliverables to learn and apply a process for intentional impact design. Students will choose one of 5 broad areas in need of impact: K-12 education; early childhood learning; workforce preparation; mental and physical health; and social discourse/civic engagement. Tapping existing research, expert guidance, and user input, students will define and target specific changes to drive observable change within their chosen area. Students choose the underlying problem and context they wish to address. They will support the problem selection with evidence, map the ecosystem in which the problem exists, identify the specific constructs that need to change and for whom, generate general and micro theories of action for causing the desired change, and develop and test micro minimal viable products (MVPs) designed to generate observable evidence of construct change. At the end of the course, students will be able to make a convincing impact pitch that includes research foundations, evidence-generating mini-prototypes, and substantiating feedback from experts and members of their impact ecosystem. Through this iterative process students will learn to articulate, test, and revise their assumptions through a mix of literature research, expert advice, and user testing. Students will have a process and base for a project they may choose to further pursue. T522 can serve as a prerequisite for T523M in the Spring. Students will also be well-prepared for T581, Advanced Design Studio. The support team for T522 includes working professionals who will mentor students and their projects. No prerequisites; no programming experience necessary.