What is a Design Studio / Design Sprint?
A Design Studio (sometimes also called a Design Sprint) is an iterative design process facilitated by Beyond School Bells (BSB) or Afterschool Program Staff where high school and college students come together over a shared topic and design fun, engaging, hands-on curriculum for K-12th grade students in afterschool or summer programs around that topic. The process typically happens over the course of 4 to 5 days with 6 to 8 hours of engagement each day. It is a great opportunity for BSB or Afterschool Program Staff to get input from older youth who are near-peers with the students for whom they design the curriculum.
Here is a step-by-step guide on how the process works:
Design Studio Output - Real Examples
BSB has facilitated over 10 Design Studios over the last few years with various unique (and all equally incredible) outputs. Design Studio products include our Mission to Mars 2.0 curriculum, City Build 2040, ACTivate College Success Bootcamp, and multiple Renewable Energy curricula.
From the Students' Perspective
We have found that the Design Studio process is a mutually beneficial process. BSB and Nebraska programs gain high-quality curricula designed by students who are near-peers with the intended audience. Simultaneously, participating high school and college students gain skills that better prepare them for their future education and career goals, enjoy the process, are more interested in working for afterschool programs in the future, and feel a sense of ownership and pride over the materials they create for Nebraska students!
Hear about the process from the student perspective:
Questions?
Have questions about this process? Interested in implementing a Design Studio with your students?
Reach out to Lauren Clark at lclark@nebraskachildren.org and/or Dakota Staggs at dstaggs@nebraskachildren.org.
