Design for Impact Course 2024

How might we blur various types of boundaries to collaboratively and meaningfully use the power of design-driven processes and weave the sciences, technology, engineering, and the liberal arts to help make society more just and to better develop talented, servant-leaders our world truly needs? Radical collaboration across disciplines is the key.

Welcome to the 5th Design for Impact (DFI). DFI is an interdisciplinary, interinstitutional project-based learning human-centered design course in partnership between four institutions. Faculty from these institutions co-teach this design-driven thinking course via hybrid modality. Students from each university and each program are grouped into teams and tasked with a design challenge. This year DFI students are working on the Stanford Longevity Design Challenge 2025: ‘Reimagining Education and Learning for Long Lives’.

Boston CollegeLiberal Arts

Wentworth Institute Industrial Design

Virginia Tech UniversityEngineering

Clemson UniversityArchitecture

Innovate with Intent

Design for Impact (DFI) project was born from the collective realization that our future leaders must be adept at navigating and integrating diverse disciplinary languages and paradigms. Our rationale is not merely academic; it's about preparing students for the nuanced, interconnected world they will enter upon graduation.

Holistic Interdisciplinary Education

By bringing together students from industrial design, architecture, engineering, and liberal arts, the course creates an interdisciplinary learning platform that encourages the cross-pollination of ideas and strategies from varied fields, nurturing a holistic approach to design and problem-solving.

Cross-University Collaboration

It fosters a collaborative educational model that leverages the unique strengths and insights of each participating institution, promoting an unparalleled synergy in learning and innovation.

Action-Oriented Learning

The program emphasizes active, problem-centric learning, where students apply multidisciplinary strategies to real-world challenges. This approach not only enhances practical skills but also prepares students to effectively communicate complex solutions, ensuring they are well-equipped to make substantive contributions to their fields and to society at large.

DFI Posters 2024

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Design for Impact Course 2024

Innovate with Intent

Holistic Interdisciplinary Education

Action-Oriented Learning

Presented By: Boston College

Office of the Provost at Boston College

Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programs & Students, LSEHD

Office of Vice Provost for Research & Academic Planning: Design & Innovation