Abstract
Student care, stress management and mental health are gaining attention on university campuses. And rightly so, incidents of students-in-crisis, missed class time, and reported stress levels are on the rise. In effort to address this alarming trend, students in the Design Thinking minor at The Ohio State University applied their skills to this topic. For their summary project students were asked how can Ohio State create a “Culture of Care”. Each team chose their topic and acted as facilitators—running workshops and sessions to co-design with students across the university. The workshops empowered students to use their experiences to define and design solutions, from their perspective, towards a campus Culture of Care. Three categories of problem areas emerged (1) Where they learn: the classroom setup, (2) Supporting peer-to-peer connections: peer interactions and training, and (3) Course structure and instruction: academics and grading. Within the structure of this course project, important insights emerged on the solutions wanted by students to reduce their stress. This project not only reveals meaningful steps instructors can take to improve their course experience, but is a case for the important contribution design and Design Thinking can offer to critical issues across universities.
Presenters
Adam FrommeLecturer, College of Arts and Science Department of Design, College of Nursing, The Ohio State University, Ohio, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Student-led, Mental Health, Design Thinking, Design Education, Course Design
