by Greg Holderfield, Director of the Segal Design Institute
If
one was to set out to design a college-level business curriculum, it’s a
fairly straightforward task with a historical reference point.
Economics, marketing, accounting, statistics – all are generally
accepted requirements for a well-rounded business education for a
graduate.
Ask someone to design a design curriculum…well, that’s another story.
For that matter, if you were to ask a hundred different people to define “design,” you could have a hundred different answers. Design is a loaded word – and creating a framework for design education involves a lot more than a few core courses.
The challenge that faces today’s universities is how to create a dynamic curriculum that engages students in possibility-based thinking that is powered by design.
Defining Design at the University
Unlike some other universities, Northwestern has made the choice to not establish a stand-alone design school. Instead, we chose to harness the interdisciplinary nature of the field and bring together faculty and students from across the university into one initiative: The Segal Design Institute.
The institute was born out of the McCormick School of Engineering, where all freshmen in engineering are required to take an introductory class in design thinking and communication. After the initial class, all design coursework is elective, allowing students the freedom to discover and follow their passion in design.
Design in the context of engineering has historically been that of data-driven solutions for problems. We’ve discovered that students need to augment this framework for problem solving with a view that is human-centered.
Being human-centered -- or factoring the user in context -- is what makes design appealing across the wide spectrum of university disciplines. Design is evolving to become an essential component in many professional fields and the curriculum must be applicable, relevant and actionable for each student. In short, we felt the Segal must produce students that are fluent in design but can also apply that mindset and toolkit to whatever career they chose to pursue.
Leaders across a multitude of industries are grappling with how to articulate the role design plays in the business world. It’s not a question that is easily answered, but we have to prepare students to engage in that debate.
The Faculty Component
When you have a design institute that’s open to students in all disciplines, you attract a richer base of experience and talent. And that goes for faculty as well as students. Our faculty is gleaned from the top talent within the university in schools of engineering, communication, computer science, business and art.
The ability to seamlessly integrate these diverse practice areas is also critical. Many of our faculty members collaborate to create coursework that expands the definition of design thinking. This year, Segal will be offering a another new class in the area of design, “Envisioning Information in a Business Context.” It focuses on visual messaging of data to tell a narrative – not to sell, but to have the information stand on its own through design.
Segal has also established a design teaching and research council with representatives from disciplines throughout Northwestern to fill in those gaps in traditional design curriculum through best practices, team teaching, research and collaborative publishing. It’s an important step as we establish the Northwestern voice in design.
A geographic advantage plays a part as well. Part of Segal’s design curriculum involves tapping the knowledge and expertise of leaders in the field, many of which are here in Chicago. We have a professional network of guest lecturers including thought leaders from IDEO, Gravity Tank, IA Collaborative, Greater Good Studio, Doblin, Epic– heavy hitters in the field of design consulting. .....
Read more: http://www.pddnet.com
For that matter, if you were to ask a hundred different people to define “design,” you could have a hundred different answers. Design is a loaded word – and creating a framework for design education involves a lot more than a few core courses.
The challenge that faces today’s universities is how to create a dynamic curriculum that engages students in possibility-based thinking that is powered by design.
Defining Design at the University
Unlike some other universities, Northwestern has made the choice to not establish a stand-alone design school. Instead, we chose to harness the interdisciplinary nature of the field and bring together faculty and students from across the university into one initiative: The Segal Design Institute.
The institute was born out of the McCormick School of Engineering, where all freshmen in engineering are required to take an introductory class in design thinking and communication. After the initial class, all design coursework is elective, allowing students the freedom to discover and follow their passion in design.
Design in the context of engineering has historically been that of data-driven solutions for problems. We’ve discovered that students need to augment this framework for problem solving with a view that is human-centered.
Being human-centered -- or factoring the user in context -- is what makes design appealing across the wide spectrum of university disciplines. Design is evolving to become an essential component in many professional fields and the curriculum must be applicable, relevant and actionable for each student. In short, we felt the Segal must produce students that are fluent in design but can also apply that mindset and toolkit to whatever career they chose to pursue.
Leaders across a multitude of industries are grappling with how to articulate the role design plays in the business world. It’s not a question that is easily answered, but we have to prepare students to engage in that debate.
The Faculty Component
When you have a design institute that’s open to students in all disciplines, you attract a richer base of experience and talent. And that goes for faculty as well as students. Our faculty is gleaned from the top talent within the university in schools of engineering, communication, computer science, business and art.
The ability to seamlessly integrate these diverse practice areas is also critical. Many of our faculty members collaborate to create coursework that expands the definition of design thinking. This year, Segal will be offering a another new class in the area of design, “Envisioning Information in a Business Context.” It focuses on visual messaging of data to tell a narrative – not to sell, but to have the information stand on its own through design.
Segal has also established a design teaching and research council with representatives from disciplines throughout Northwestern to fill in those gaps in traditional design curriculum through best practices, team teaching, research and collaborative publishing. It’s an important step as we establish the Northwestern voice in design.
A geographic advantage plays a part as well. Part of Segal’s design curriculum involves tapping the knowledge and expertise of leaders in the field, many of which are here in Chicago. We have a professional network of guest lecturers including thought leaders from IDEO, Gravity Tank, IA Collaborative, Greater Good Studio, Doblin, Epic– heavy hitters in the field of design consulting. .....
Read more: http://www.pddnet.com