Design for Action

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

Have you ever looked around you and thought that things could be better? Have you ever wondered why when the solution seems obvious the problem somehow persists? Have you ever thought that you would like to change something, but are not sure where to start? If you have asked yourself these questions then this course is for you.

This course is designed to help you identify and make progress on a leadership challenge in your school or community. Using the tools and techniques of Adaptive Leadership and Design Thinking you will learn how to diagnose what is happening and take action to address the problem that you have identified. As well, you will learn about what it means to lead change ethically, by considering the importance of relationships and exercising your ¨moral imagination.¨

Our work together will involve an online learning component as well as an on campus group learning component. For the online component you will be guided by Shoulder-to-Shoulder staff through readings and videos, as well weekly video conferences with your group. You will apply what you are learning on line by creating a project in your community with guidance from an on campus mentor. This semester long class will allow you to become a leader of change in your community while creating an authentic solution to a problem of your choice.

KEY OBJECTIVES:

You will:

• utilize the design thinking process to solve problems in your community.
• understand what it means to be an ethical leader.
• use the Adaptive Leadership framework to lead change in your community.
• prototype solutions and seek feedback from your user.
• learn how to design effective interview questions.
• conduct ethnographic research and learn how to think like an anthropologist.
• practice creative techniques to build prototypes of your ideas and learn how to test your prototypes with real users.
• collaborate with peers and advisors to create solutions to problems in your community.
• learn how to pitch an idea and solicit feedback from an audience.
• appreciate the difference between leadership and authority.

WEEKLY OVERVIEW

Week 1: Moral Vision

Key Ideas: The ¨gap¨, Moral Vision, Is vs. Ought

Week 2: An Introduction to Design Thinking and Adaptive Leadership

Key Ideas: Design Thinking, Adaptive Leadership, Adaptive Design

Weeks 3–4: Empathetic Observation

Key Ideas: Empathy, Observation, Ethnographic Thinking

Weeks 5–6: Definition and Interpretation

Key Ideas: Define, Interpret

Weeks 7–8: Ideation

Key Ideas: Ideate

Weeks 9–10: Prototyping Interventions

Key Ideas: Prototype, Intervention

ASSESSMENTS:

*If you elect take this class for credit, you will be assessed on the following assignments:

Five reflections

• You will reflect every two weeks on the process of your learning. You can choose to reflect in the form of a written blog, audio podcast or video blog.
• You will be assessed on how you reflect on the experience, conceptualize the experience and apply the experience.

Five mentor check ins

• You will be responsible for checking in with your on campus mentor five times throughout the course of the project.
• You will be assessed by your mentor on how well you have met your weekly project goals.

Final presentation

• You will present your final prototype as well as what you learned during the process in a 30 minute video conference presentation to be attended by your on campus mentor and SStS teaching staff at the end of the course.
• You will be assessed on your application of the key principles from the class in designing your final prototype/intervention.

Final reflection

• You will create a webpage that reflects your journey throughout the course of the semester. You can use your bi weekly reflections and any video or photos that you take to create a multimedia reflection of the adaptive design process. This is due at the end of the course.
• You will be assessed on how you reflect on the entire experience, conceptualize the entire experience and apply your learnings from the entire experience.