 

A mentorship and training program led by the SUTD-MIT International Design Center (IDC), and referred to as Design Odyssey, is a co-curricular program that helps students apply the principles of human-centric design and making, and bridge the gap between theory and practice to unleash innovation, social awareness, and social entrepreneurship. The mission is to groom change agents and social entrepreneurs to be champions of Design Innovation (DI) in Singapore, the ASEAN region, and beyond.  The program is sponsored by the JP Morgan Foundation.

 

We present the Design Odyssey program and associated educational research findings aligned with the programmatic and organizational goals of the program. These include the workforce development of cohorts of interdisciplinary university students, impacts on the community and region with the execution of DI, social innovation, and enterprise projects; organizational development of Design Odyssey staff and continuous improvement in the Design Odyssey program; leadership opportunities to transfer DI mindsets and skillsets to others; and developing a confidence and positive self-efficacy in a diverse set of students to be innovators, with the necessary critical thinking, creative thinking, complex problems decision making, and emotional intelligence to succeed in the future workforce and make an impact in their communities.

 

The Design Odyssey Program is a tremendously impactful way to engage students in real-world based opportunity/problem-solving. This is a voluntary, co-curricular, and outside-the-classroom mentorship and training program where college students learn and apply principles of human-centric design. The mission of the program is accomplished as the student participants (1) network with mentors from both academia and professionals from top public and private enterprises; (2) acquire design, computing and technical skills that are highly in demand by the knowledge- and innovation-based workforce; (3) contribute to the betterment of society through meaningful opportunities that allow them to apply these skills and qualities; and (4) learn to encourage precollege students to pursue degrees in higher education. Through this process, students advance their skill sets and mindsets in critical thinking, inventive thinking, and emotional intelligence, all identified as key 21st-century skills.

 

We offer three different and distinctive sub-programs as part of Design Odyssey, each of them thoughtfully designed to benefit students with different goals. The three project modules are strategically developed for different scales of offerings and range from cutting-edge bootcamps to a year-round program. Social Innovation DRIVE engages students in a single long-term project addressing a specific societal need or problem. Design Odyssey’s LEAD program extends its platform, training, and mentorship to pre-university-level students in elementary schools, junior high schools, high schools, and community colleges. DRIVE program students are strongly encouraged to participate in the LEAD program as student mentors and engage in a meaningful way with the younger students as they journey through the DI process. The last track offered is Enterprise Innovation, which provides an opportunity for extended interaction with industry, voluntary welfare organizations, non-profit organizations, and government-public sectors.

 

In this presentation, research findings aligned with the programmatic and organizational goals of Design Odyssey are presented across a four year period.  Key program output and outcome metric results are provided, along with the research methodology, quantitative and qualitative assessments of the program, and learning outcomes / self-efficacy findings from hundreds of participants.  Based on the educational research results and findings, insights are provided about the program and its benefits and translation to systemic design educational change.


Design Odyssey: A Co-Curricular Design Innovation and Entrepreneurship Program for Systemic Change in Design Education

Division / Sponsors: 
Design Engineering Division and Computers & Information In Engineering Division


Paper Proceedings: https://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/IDETC-CIE/IDETC-CIE2020/volume/83907

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