We started this week at a fast pace as teams were deep into their first design mini-project, and used the energy in class to make everybody get to know each other a little better. On Tuesday we had a brief mini-project check in where different teams shared and discussed their progress, and then we dove into some team bonding activities. We played “All My Neighbors” and did a few iterations of human knots. These activities were great for getting students more comfortable with each other and “breaking the ice” so to speak. That day we also introduced our long awaited SDC Projects. We showed students a total of 14 potential projects, talked about them a little and gave them room to discuss and think about their different options. We’ll be expecting student team & project choices to be finalized by the end of next week.
On Thursday we got to see the first small great milestone of the class, as students presented their first mini-projects. The results were fantastic and far beyond what we expected. Students really dove deep into the experience, and amidst the joys and frustrations of the design process, delivered outstanding results for a 1-week project about how to improve the dining experience at Dartmouth. We can’t wait to see what they come up with on mini-project #2!