Lead Instructor(s):
Dates:
Course Length:
Course Fee:
CEUs:
Participant Takeaways:
Through this short course, participants will learn:
- The characteristics of an inclusive innovation process
- The basic steps of participatory design and the complexity of it in practice
- How to apply participatory design approaches with healthy humility in the international development and humanitarian context
- How to recognize and mitigate power dynamics and barriers to participation and inclusion in the innovation process
- Simple strategies for identifying and meaningfully engaging diverse stakeholders
- Creative facilitation tools for cultivating participatory design more effectively between diverse stakeholders
Who Should Attend:
- Professionals and academics who want to learn from MIT D-Lab’s participatory design approach and learn from others applying it in the international development and humanitarian contexts
- Professionals who want to build up their toolkit for facilitating collaboration between diverse stakeholders
This course is particularly well suited to professionals working in international development, humanitarian aid, community organizing, or diplomacy, poverty- and hunger-related issues, corporate social responsibility, grantmaking and philanthropy, global health, government service, social entrepreneurship, technology development, STEM education, and higher education.
Attendees often include:
- Directors and Managers of Partnerships, Strategy, Programs, New Business Development, Training, Research, Outreach and Communications, Monitoring and Evaluation, Product Development, Finance and Operations
- Engineers
- Researchers
Program Outline:
MIT D-Lab faculty, instructors, and program staff bring global perspectives and hands-on experience to this new course, which draws on real-life case studies derived from Participatory Design initiatives around the world. In addition to case studies, sessions will have a mix of research, dynamic scenarios and exercises, field trips, group discussions, co-creative sessions, themed games, and networking opportunities. Because of the emphasis on experiential learning, all sessions have roughly a 1:2 ratio of lectures to hands-on activities.
By meeting with MIT representatives, participants will also learn about opportunities to partner with the MIT D-Lab, the MIT Practical Impact Alliance, and the broader MIT ecosystem on inclusive innovation opportunities.
Prior to arriving, participants may be required to do some light reading.
Course Schedule:
View 2019 schedule (pdf, subject to change)
This course meets 9:00 am - 5:00 pm on Monday (followed by an MIT D-Lab tour and networking dinner 5:00 - 7:00 pm), 9:00 am - 5:30 pm on Tuesday, 9:00 am -5:00 pm Wednesday and Thursday, and 9:00 am - Noon on Friday, followed by a closing lunch.
Instructors:
Maria Yang
Maria Yang is Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering. Her work focuses on the process of designing. She served as Director of Design at Reactivity, Inc. She is an ASME Fellow, and the recipient of an NSF CAREER Award and the ASEE Merryfield Award. She earned her SB from MIT, and an MS and PhD from Stanford, all in Mechanical Engineering. She is Faculty Academic Director of MIT D-Lab, overseeing the Education program, and is co-instructor for D-Lab: Design for Scale.
Amy Smith
Amy Smith is the Founding Director of MIT D-Lab, an innovative university-based program in international development and a senior lecturer in Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She is also the founder of the International Development Design Summit, co-founder of the MIT IDEAS Global Challenge, co-founder of Rethink Relief conference, and originator of the Creative Capacity Building methodology.
Course Curator and Additional Instructors
Course Curator
Sher Vogel, MIT D-Lab Global Trainings Manager
Guest lectures or supplemental talks may also be provided by the following:
- Saida Benhayoune, MIT D-Lab Program Director and Innovation Practice Co-Lead
- Laura Budzyna, MIT D-Lab Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Manager
- Amanda Epting, MIT D-Lab Practical Impact Alliance Manager
- Dan Frey, MIT Professor of Mechanical Engineering and MIT D-Lab Faculty Director
- Elizabeth Hoffecker, MIT D-Lab Research Scientist, Local Innovation and Development
- Kendra Leith, MIT D-Lab Associate Director for Research
- Libby McDonald, MIT D-Lab Lecturer and Inclusive Economies Specialist
- Bhaskar Pant, MIT Professional Education Executive Director
- Jona Repishti, MIT D-Lab Social Entrepreneurship Manager
- Molly Rubenstein, MIT D-Lab Innovative Ecosystems Manager
- Kofi Taha, Associate Director MIT D-Lab and Innovation Practice Co-Lead
Location:
This course takes place on the MIT campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts. We can also offer this course for groups of employees at your location. Please complete the Custom Programs request form for further details.
