Student catalysts from the Center for Design Thinking help students and faculty at Southern New Hampshire University redesign the first-generation college experience.
Over fall break, Aaron Chan ’26 and Anya Bratic ’26, team leaders for the Center for Design Thinking, were invited by Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) to conduct workshops on improving the first-generation college experience. Chan and Bratic were also joined by Director of Design Thinking at Elon Danielle Lake.
A diverse group of SNHU first-generation students had the chance to reflect back and visualize their unique strengths and experiences, discuss their challenges and generate recommendations for SNHU faculty and staff. They then created personalized and tangible next steps for their future growth.
Students expressed a desire for more interactive classes and weekly check-ins with professors to discuss their progress. They also asked faculty to do more to ensure students are aware of available resources. They emphasized opportunities to reduce barriers for students by providing time in class to begin course projects and to listen more fully to student feedback on the difficulty level of tasks. After presenting these insights to SNHU faculty in a follow-up workshop, SNHU faculty designed procedural and systemic solutions. Feedback from students and faculty confirmed they plan to harness the strategies that emerged in their future endeavors.
The Center for Design Thinking continues its consulting efforts this fall with on and off-campus partnerships supporting a range of projects, from cultivating mentoring constellations and wellness routines to designing inclusive strategic plans and fostering cross-sector networks.
Elon By Design offers consulting and customized support for a range of personal, academic, and professional projects and teams. Request a consultation at our site: https://www.elon.edu/u/elon-by-design/workshops-and-events/