Other Engagement Opportunities
The School of Information offers several opportunities for organizations to work with students outside of client-based courses, ranging from semester-long to single-day community organizing projects
Visit the official UMSI website for the most up-to-date information on client based courses
Information on the site you are currently visiting is no longer being updated as of Summer 2021
What is Citizen Interaction Design?
Now, more than ever before, citizenship is dependent on both access to and participation in creation of information. SI 538: Citizen Interaction Design connects Michigan communities with information students who develop new information tools that foster civic engagement on a broad range of topics.
Deliverables
What do clients receive for participating in this course?
An information product, tool, or service
A sustainability report that describes the requirements to implement and sustain the product
Client Eligibility
Who can participate?
Projects are developed with existing CID partner communities, which are Michigan cities that have a population of 20,000 to 200,000. Please contact umsi.citizeninteraction@umich.edu to learn more about becoming a CID partner community.
What do students do during the project?
Projects
What are some examples of successful projects?
Access for All
Students worked with disAbility Connections to build a tool that helps people with disabilities choose and plan visits to restaurants and retailers based on the accessibility of their buildings. The website now operates in three counties with plans to expand to more.
Open Data Policy
Students were asked to develop policy infrastructure to support improved public access to government data. Teams in two semesters worked to establish the policy framework, practical tools, and sustainable processes required to implement a successful open data program in the City of Jackson. Jackson passed the first Open Data ordinance in Michigan, written by these students.
The team was tasked with creating a way for Ferndale citizens to contribute to solutions for vermin control. Their solution, Rat Chat, offered a simple, text-based way to report rat information in a format that improved response efficiency of city staff.
Police Data Initiative
Students worked with the Ferndale Police Department and community members to implement an open data initiative in the city and increase trust and transparency between the community and the police. By using User-Centered Design Methods, the CID team was able to establish a best-practices process and implementation, including a model dataset for release, and establishing a community open data task force to identify future datasets for release.
How many projects are selected for this program?
Fall 2020: 6 projects*
Fall 2019: 6 projects*
* Due to variability in the number of enrolled students each year, this number is only a rough estimate.
Timeline
SI 538 occurs in the Fall semester (September–December)
June–August
Client submits project idea
Client Engagement Team (CET) reviews project idea and requests full project proposal
CET works with client to scope and refine proposal
September
Faculty choose proposals to present to students
Students choose their project
September–October
Students begin project
December
Students finish project and provide deliverable(s) to client
Participate
How do I become a client?
Potential clients should complete this brief form with their contact information and a short summary of their project idea. Our Client Engagement Team will review your submission and reach out to you within 3 business days with next steps.
What if I don't have a project right now, but I'm interested in future opportunities or want to learn more?
If you don't have a specific project in mind for the upcoming semester, but would like to stay informed about future opportunities to work with students through our client-based courses or other programs, complete this registration form to be added to our mailing list.