BIF Student Experience Lab Launches Student-Driven Participatory Design Studio

Christine Flanagan
August 10, 2011

What if we put students in the driver’s seat of a new kind of R&D to transform higher education? One that provided a platform for engaging students more fully in a real world effort that also involved faculty, and university administrators? Could we improve a student’s education experience? Yes. Could we take it a step further and transform higher education itself? Yes.

BIF’s participatory design studio gives students the opportunity to use real-world research and design methodologies to transform their student experience. Framed within the context of a real problem, the lab leads students through the design process, ultimately landing on a set of solutions to improve their experience.

Getting students directly involved in improving their own experience is priority number one for BIF's Student Experience Lab. In addition to offering education leaders with new ideas for enhancing the student experience, the studio demonstrates a new technique for engaging students in an ongoing innovation process that is both interdisciplinary and action-oriented. It's an important example of how organizations can proactively put students in the driver's seat of their own internal R&D activity.

Head to the studio now to learn more about the approach and how it could make a difference for your institution.

Student Voice

What does it feel like for a student to be considered a valued contributor to improvement of their experience? Hear from students at Utah State University.