An Update from the Social Entrepreneurship Class
The Social Entrepreneurship class has focused on expanding our knowledge of social entrepreneurship as a concept while also engaging with a variety of supplementary materials, during the first semester.
We worked with the Business Model Canvas and the Value Proposition Canvas to better understand all of the many components of a business, and also to identify how they interact with each other.
An important task this semester involved engaging with the student lounge, specifically the ways in which students use the space and its challenges. With this investigation, we learned about the concept of human-centered design, which involves identifying the problems encountered by people using a particular space and then finding creative solutions.
We have been on multiple field trips to interesting locations in which we could learn from business professionals. We visited the Transbay and SOMA WeWork locations, as well as One Workplace’s Alameda warehouse. The latter field trip was instrumental in the beginning stages of our redesign of the student lounge.
During the first semester, we focused on dissecting the issues of the student lounge and how we can improve on each of these problems. We drafted many surveys that were sent out to the student body to collect perspectives on the student lounge now. This not only encouraged the rest of the community to voice their opinions, but it also allowed us to obtain helpful information regarding the student lounge.
After collecting all the data, we analyzed it and identified the major negative and positive aspects of the space to further our discussion. As mentioned above, the class took several field trips to several different offices to examine the workspace and observe the likes and dislikes of the interior design in each of these facilities. However, the fun doesn’t stop there, because soon after we worked on a presentation that would capture the essence of our vision for the new and improved student lounge and shared this vision with a board of important faculty members!
Now, we are designing and making outlines of the collective vision for the student lounge with our own personal touch. We are factoring in the budget and limited amount of space into their design and determine what furniture would be practical for the space, as well as what would be beneficial to it. The journey is definitely not over, in fact, it has just begun! We will continue working hard and collaborating on making the student lounge the best that it can be.
Moving forward, the class will be partnering with local businesses that are struggling with real problems where the students can develop real solutions. The students will be divided into two teams that will have three weeks to research and design solutions. If you have or know of a local CEO or business that would be interested in participating, please contact Dr. J.
Sincerely,
Sydney '19 and Chloe '19
Become part of the Drew Dynamic!
Drew knows and believes in teenagers. We engage each student in a process of intellectual discovery to develop an individual voice, the confidence to express it, and the empathy to understand its impact.
Social
Contact
© 2018 Drew School. All Rights Reserved.