Developing Public Service Hybrid Learning Models Through Community-Engaged Design Education
Nadia Beyzaei, Jon Hannan, Chelsea Burke, Caylee Raber · 2023
In many cases, community-engaged design education or curriculum directed towards social issues, was canceled, or shifted to virtual formats during the Covid-19 pandemic.As access to groups, became limited due to the prioritization of physical health -particularly those who were high-risk -many students were denied the opportunity to learn through public service initiatives.Perspectives, a class that brings together design students with people living in long-term care, reoriented to a hybrid delivery format.The resulting hybrid learning model presented key considerations for community engagement in virtual environments beyond the pandemic.In this paper, student and instructor reflections will be explored in relation to course structure and connections to community.The hybrid delivery of Perspectives allowed for a more agile and community-engaged curriculum which was resilient to emergency situations and adaptable to unexpected circumstances; this created new ways for learning outcomes to be activated in community, such as windows into personal spaces and overcoming geographical boundaries to enable working with remote communities.What initially started to maintain relationships and basic connection with community partners, ultimately resulted in the development and advancement of pedagogical methods and approaches in Design.