As the university continues to place emphasis on engaged learning experiences, one new course offered this winter has challenged students to think about how to design education for the future.
The students in Education by Design: Campus of the Future, a joint course between LSA and the College of Engineering, will show off their projects at a poster presentation 3-5 p.m., Tuesday in Room 100 at the Hatcher Library.
Throughout the semester, students worked through interdisciplinary teams to explore topics to design instructional technologies, physical spaces and new academic experiences.
Among the projects:
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• Reframing orientation to get new students plugged into a community of interest right away, and to address special needs of first-generation college students.
• A mobile app that connects people with the same research interests, which students describe as a Tinder-like app that becomes a matchmaker for ideas.
• A program that encourages undergraduate connections with alumni to provide mentorship and networking opportunities throughout a student’s career.
The course is taught by Joanna Mirecki Millunchick, professor of materials science and engineering, and Mika Lavaque-Manty, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Political Science.
“These students are trying to tackle the issue of scale and the issue that at Michigan one size does not fit all,” Lavaque-Manty said. “They sincerely want to produce ideas that the university can use.”
One goal for the course was for the inaugural group of students to design projects that may be carried to completion by future classes.
“Can we move with the time? Can we shift with new needs?” Mirecki Millunchick asked, adding that the course purpose is to look at engaged learning from the student perspective, using students to motivate change in learning approaches.
