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OACS Update

Posted by on Tuesday, February 28, 2017 in News Blurbs.

 

Design as an Immersive Vanderbilt Experience (DIVE)

About DIVE

DIVE is an exciting new program with both curricular and co-curricular components that will teach human-centered design thinking to students so that they may solve complex, real-world problems, develop critical thinking skills, and work in multidisciplinary teams during an immersive, mentored project. DIVE is not just for undergraduate students; through the DIVE Boot Camps, students, faculty and staff may explore human-centered design and learn the five steps of design thinking, including: empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test. DIVE will launch in Fall 2017.

Why DIVE?

DIVE is the project chosen as the university’s Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP). The QEP is a critical element of Vanderbilt’s SACS-COC reaffirmation of accreditation; its purpose is to advance student learning through a clearly defined plan of action. In 2007, Vanderbilt’s QEP was the first-year Vanderbilt Visions curriculum. Beginning in 2017, Vanderbilt’s QEP will be the DIVE program.

What is OACS Doing to Support DIVE?

OACS is currently preparing a portfolio of co-curricular projects to be launched at the end of the semester, so be on the lookout for that. The OACS co-curricular DIVE process will look something like the following:

  • Undergraduate students will complete a DIVE Boot Camp early during the co-curricular project of their choice. This will enable them to understand and apply human-centered design methodology.
  • In OACS, it is envisaged that students will work in multidisciplinary project teams over the course of the fall semester, to attack and develop real-world policy and other solutions to pressing local needs identified by the mayor’s office. The themes OACS has chosen include:
    • The lived experiences of refugees in Nashville;
    • Glass recycling;
    • Gentrification; and
    • Food waste
  • At the end of the academic year, students will participate in a university-wide showcase to present their work.

Want to Know More?

  • Please visit the DIVE website and watch the new DIVE video!
  • Spread the word about DIVE far and wide! It’s critical that the Vanderbilt community know that DIVE is the university’s new QEP!
  • Sign up for the first DIVE Boot Camp taking place on March 25th from 11AM – 4PM at the Wond’ry. Enrollment will be capped at 40 participants, so students, faculty, and staff should sign up now! Email dive@vanderbilt.edu to sign up.

DIVE Presentations

Dr. Clive Mentzel has participated in roadshows with Drs. Lori Troxel and Derek Bruff throughout February promoting DIVE to faculty in the colleges of Music, Engineering, and Arts and Science.

OACS Student Travel

This spring break will see more than 700 students travel on various service projects across the United States and internationally through groups such as Alternative Spring Break, Habitat for Humanity, and Manna Project International. OACS places student safety and risk management at the heart of all the work we do in supporting our traveling groups. We wish our students success and applaud their spirit of service and civic activism!

Redefine

On February 27th OACS and ISSS led the third seminar in the Redefine series. Guest lecturer Linda Breggin of the Nashville Food Waste Initiative and Vanderbilt Law School spoke about the worldwide concern of food waste and how this impacts our economy, environment, and public health. The seminar also included a screening of the documentary Just Eat It, which focuses on a Canadian couple who survives for 6 months on rescued food. Students discussed ways in which they can cut down on personal food waste, taking small steps in the face of an overwhelming problem.

Global Service Seminar on Ethical International Engagement

OACS hosted a combined seminar of the four global service programs on February 20th with guest speaker Dr. Bart Victor. Dr. Victor’s lecture was focused on ethical international engagement, service as development work, and how students can achieve a relationship of mutual respect within their host communities. Learning outcomes included:

  1. Gaining a better understanding of the failures of development assistance.
  2. Analyzing ‘development’ and the term’s problematic nature.
  3. Engaging in discussion about the complexity of development and community change.
  4. Beginning to understand the limitations of international service-learning.

Thanks to Dr. Victor for leading this important seminar.

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