I'm thrilled to be back at Olin College co-teaching Engineering for Humanity (E4H) with anthropologist Caitrin Lynch. Our student teams each work intimately with an older adult, using Innovators’ Compass to co-create something that has a positive impact on their life and goals. In parallel, they gather observations—and try experiments—around affecting the broader aging experience in society.  

Olin kindly created an amazing curriculum site, including lots of short videos like this lovely overview video with reflections from students and partners.

Most importantly, the curriculum site has enabled others.

The latest are Drew Zachary, Morgan Muschamp, and Blake St. Louis, who adapted the resources to create a course at Beaver Country Day School that encourages high school students working with senior-living residents to:

"Focus on the people—and design with them at the center. Students will build relationships, seek feedback, and amplify the residents’ voices along the way.

...

But it went beyond just creating a product; the students and the residents formed a real bond, connection, and partnership that was mutually beneficial."

More in their blog, here and here.  

The two team prototypes pictured here focused on supporting personal organization: a drawer partition bearing the resident's inspirational quotes, and a mechanism to lift up a low drawer.

I love how the teachers instill a feel for the Compass (seen behind the team below) by having students pick apart examples from our website and create their own rubrics for each part!