A Design Thinking Approach to Higher Education
Last week I had pleasure of facilitating a conversation with two Hopkins alumni, Sadaf Khan and Sharad Baliyan, on the topics of Defining Your Goals, Generating Ideas, and Radical Collaboration. My guests shared some fantastic ideas and words of wisdom in the short hour we had together. Throughout our conversation I was struck by the... Continue Reading →
Photo by Sindre Stru00f8m on Pexels.com In his 2019 book Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World, journalist David Epstein turns our perceived wisdom about careers on its head. Despite the common belief that to be successful one must commit to a path early and devote as much time and energy as possible to... Continue Reading →
Photo by ArtHouse Studio on Pexels.com If you've ever worked your way through Designing Your Life or attended a day-long or multi-day "Designing Your Life" workshop you will know that Odyssey Plans are the central part of the DYL process. The early steps in the process lay the foundation for building out your Odyssey Plans... Continue Reading →
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KT0Mv1JXWo0 It's interesting to watch experienced designers and educators like Bill Burnett and Dave Evans grapple with the Life Design process in real time. When the COVID-19 lockdowns first started many of us (myself included), attempted to reframe the situation to emphasize the potential of the moment. "Take up a hobby! Connect with old friends... Continue Reading →
Another excellent video from the authors of Designing Your Life, Dave Evans and Bill Burnett. While COVID-19 will prevent many of our students from getting hands-on experience in a potential career field, Burnett and Evans note that there is no better time to conduct informational interviews. Furthermore, they cite Harvard psychologist Dan Gilbert to argue... Continue Reading →
Photo by fauxels on Pexels.com In my last activity post, Re(Design) Your Summer Internship, I shared ways that students could employ design thinking to reimagine their summer so that they can continue to build their way forward and advance their career goals in spite of the COVID-19 restrictions. But what if you have no idea... Continue Reading →
Photo by Tembela Bohle on Pexels.com Empathy is central to Life Design, and in the Life Design Lab many of our workshops and programs ask participants to spend time reflecting on their life. Whether they are tracking their Energy-Engagement, logging their Good Times Journal, or just spending time thinking about their values, skills and interests,... Continue Reading →
Another really helpful video from Dave Evans and Bill Burnett, authors of Designing Your Life. I've often used their 10 second summary of Life Design - Get Curious, Talk to People, Try Stuff, Tell Your Story - in my presentations at Johns Hopkins. Especially for parents and new students, this summary gets at the heart... Continue Reading →
Photo by Prateek Katyal on Pexels.com As COVID-19 wreaks havoc on the American economy, many students are seeing their summer internships cancelled and even withdrawn by employers. Even those fortunate enough to still have an internship are likely to have a summer experience very different that the one they imagined months ago when they interviewed... Continue Reading →
A key part of Life Design is the idea of "radical collaboration", the bringing together of a diverse group of individuals with different experiences, skills, backgrounds and outlooks as a way to increase both the number and the variety of ideas that are generated. With many in-person workshops moving to an asynchronous virtual format, many... Continue Reading →
Education * Designed 