Learning Resources

Abstract: Historically disenfranchised students are now gaining unprecedented empowerment and awareness, and in this session, we'll show how strategic and innovative engagement further empowers student diversity through design. Designing campus spaces with equitable access for all students can greatly improve their sense of engagement, safety, wellness, and belonging. Join us to learn how you can engage diverse student groups in the design process with social media and new technology to create more inclusive and equitable campus spaces.

Abstract: In order to safely bringing students back to campus during the pandemic, it is imperative that we study diverse individual student journeys and actively engage them in co-designing the solutions. This session will explore the process, key insights, and design interventions from our research project focused on designing a post-pandemic return to campus. Come learn how you can apply student-centered research and design-thinking methods to solve the urgent problem of safely bringing students back to campus.

Abstract: The Integrative Design Process (IDP) is a powerful collaborative framework that aligns with an institution's culture to cost-effectively achieve any project's desired outcomes. After adopting IDP incrementally since 2003, Princeton University has created a full program, including a roadmap and in-depth training. A well-designed IDP supports participation and buy-in from users and effective collaboration in project teams-that means fewer changes during the construction documents phase and construction, smoother turnover, and better performance. In this session, we'll share our results and challenges and show how you can use an IDP to realize better value and outcomes for your campus project.

Abstract: How did Villanova University and their project partners leverage the collaboration inherent in all capital projects to strengthen the design of an important new campus development along a bustling regional thoroughfare? Through planning, patience, and perseverance during a decade-long process that actively engaged university leadership, community members, and state and municipal authorities. Come learn how the project team turned challenges into opportunities by incorporating different perspectives to develop new and better solutions—especially during the rigorous approvals process—all while retaining a strong sense of character and place in the design response.

Abstract: In difficult times, planning and the successful implementation of that planning require the buy-in and support of a whole range of stakeholders–but particularly the faculty, since they carry out the institution’s teaching and research missions.

Faculty can make or break successful planning.

An institution must be very circumspect in their choice of representative faculty for planning groups, how they are engaged in the planning process, and how they interact with other campus constituencies for maximum buy-in. This endeavor is particularly difficult when the new planning process follows previous attempts that have failed because of faculty resistance or lack of meaningful involvement. This session details successful planning initiatives at two regional universities, one in the Midwest and one in the southern Northeast, where earlier planning efforts failed because of “the faculty factor.”

Join us to explore the successes and failures involved in these two planning initiatives that required broad-based faculty support in order to reverse issues with programmatic quality, student success, and institutional accreditation.

Abstract: Multiple entities within institutions often have competing values, but virtual reality (VR) simulation can help overcome this challenge by creating an accessible platform for building a collective vision. We will demonstrate how we incorporated VR into stakeholder engagement for the University of Virginia's Student Health and Wellness Center to address health outcomes, promote student learning, and collaborate with interdisciplinary partners across campus. Encouraging stakeholders to virtually test a space's impact on health and learning will help you to advance decision-making, leverage diverse expertise, and capture empathy-driven insight to create a more efficient and intelligent design process at your institution.

Abstract: A collaborative approach allows building projects to open faster, reduces redesign, increases staff satisfaction, and produces a higher utilization rate than the traditional design process. This session details the collaborative Lean process involving over 100 people that allowed the Lauritzen Outpatient Center on the Nebraska Medical Campus to be completed 1.5 years early with few design changes. Come learn from our unique approach in which actual users participate in designing the facility, allowing implementation of new processes and efficiencies known only to medical center staff.