What to expect

Term

Parter organizations will:

Students will:

• Submit a project proposal.
• Designate a point person who will serve as the organization's liaison to the SDC.
• Work with the SDC instructional team to fine-tune the project scope.

• Apply to the course and undergo a competitive selection process.

• Attend a kick-off meeting mid-January, to meet the student team assigned to the project.
• Facilitate students' access to users and other stakeholders to interview.
• Provide students with access to background information and the organization's resources relevant to the project.
• Be in regular contact with the students (we estimate one hour per week, including quick check-in meetings and email communication).
• Provide feedback to student work-in-progress and advise on research strategy.
• Host the student team at your organization for a midway progress report presentation (beginning of March).

• Be assigned into teams based on skills, topic preferences, and disciplinary background.
• Conduct ethnographic and secondary research. (Teams will be expected to conduct thorough fieldwork in addition to other research relevant to each project.)
• Analyze research data to look for patterns and opportunities to creatively reframe the problem.
• Produce an "Insights Report" at the end of the research phase, which will be given to the partner organization.
• Brainstorm solution ideas and seek feedback from users and other stakeholders.
• Deliver an end-of-term presentation highlighting research, data analysis, and idea generation.

• Meet with the student team during the last week of March or first week of April to give students direct feedback on their winter term presentations and set expectations/goals for the spring term.
• Continue to meet regularly with the student team to provide guidance and feedback on work-in-progress.
• Facilitate student access to prototyping resources by providing human, financial, physical, or other necessary resources.
• Facilitate testing prototypes with users.
• Work with students to conduct pilot implementation of the solution idea.
• Send a contingent to attend final presentations (end of May).
• Submit a final reflection/feedback to the SDC instructional team.

• Engage in an iterative cycle of building and testing prototypes of their solution ideas.
• Conduct further field research as needed.
• Continue to meet regularly with the partner organization's liaison to receive guidance and feedback on work-in-progress.
• Create an implementation plan for their proposed innovation.
• Work with project partner to conduct pilot implementation of the solution idea.
• Deliver a final presentation summarizing research, data analysis, and outlining recommended solution and implementation strategy.
• Create a final written report with more details of the above.

• Implement the feasible and viable recommendations delivered by the students.
• Update the SDC instructional team on the impact of students' work.