Genevieve Feliu
Innovation Catalyst,
CAEL
Personas for Student-Centered Design
Thursday, May 20, 2021 | 11:00AM–11:45AM ET
Session Type:
Breakout Session
Delivery Format:
Live Session
How do we release ourselves from the “knower” mindset to a ”learning” mindset as we design a classroom experience? As we strive to improve the teaching and learning experience, it is essential that we not just speak to the student experience in the abstract but actively design that experience for the student. To design successful innovations, we must “see” beyond their singular dimensions as learners, conceptualizing students as multifaceted people with jobs, interests, relationships, secret fears, competing priorities, and wild ambitions, all of which coexist alongside their time in the classroom. In the Capella University Learning Lab, we intentionally meet the student where they are in the learning experience to focus efforts where we want the learning to happen, centering students in our design experience with intention through the creation and use of student personas. Personas are multidimensional and relatable. They tell a story that helps keep diverse project teams focused on the end goal: experiences that help students succeed. Creating a persona is a powerful experience in and of itself for anyone seeking to innovate the student experience. Join us for an interactive session where we will share the value of using personas for student-centered learning in higher education. We will share a brief example in which we created three learner personas. Much of the time we will facilitate the participants through the experience co-creating a student persona and applying it in a design exercise.
