Introduction to Socially Engaged Design
Learn to apply socially engaged design principles to create equitable, sustainable engineering solutions with broader societal impact.
Learn to apply socially engaged design principles to create equitable, sustainable engineering solutions with broader societal impact.
This course introduces the Socially Engaged Design (SED) model, a framework that helps engineers and designers explore the broader societal implications of their work early in the product design process. Students will learn to consider economic, social, and environmental impacts of design solutions, focusing on equity and sustainability. The curriculum covers the entire SED process, from exploring and defining problems to ideating, developing, and realizing solutions. Through real-world case studies, students will examine how design decisions can enhance or hinder progress in communities. Topics include stakeholder mapping, power dynamics analysis, needs assessment, ideation techniques, and prototype development. The course emphasizes the importance of understanding personal biases, cultural contexts, and the role of power and privilege in design. By applying SED principles, students will learn to create more inclusive, evidence-based, and socially responsible engineering solutions.
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What you'll learn
Understand and apply the Socially Engaged Design process model to engineering projects
Analyze societal connections and impacts of design solutions on individuals and communities
Develop skills in stakeholder mapping and engaging diverse perspectives in the design process
Learn to identify and articulate engineering needs and design opportunities with social context
Apply ideation techniques that consider equity and social impact
Understand how personal biases and cultural contexts influence design decisions
Skills you'll gain
This course includes:
5.13 Hours PreRecorded video
21 assignments
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FullTime access
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There are 5 modules in this course
This course provides a comprehensive introduction to the Socially Engaged Design (SED) model, a framework for integrating social, economic, and environmental considerations into the engineering design process. The curriculum is structured around the five stages of the SED process: Explore, Define, Ideate, Develop, and Realize. Throughout these stages, students learn to analyze dimensions of equity, power, identity, and motivations; account for contextual factors and stakeholder perspectives; gather and synthesize information; prototype and test ideas; and validate design concepts. The course emphasizes practical application through case studies, including examples like the PlayPump water system, lithium mining impacts, and sustainable metalworking fluids. Students engage in activities such as stakeholder mapping, needs assessment, and ideation exercises. The course also addresses critical topics like designer positionality, the influence of personal biases on problem framing, and strategies for equitable stakeholder engagement. By the end of the course, students will have developed skills to create more inclusive, sustainable, and socially responsible engineering solutions.
Introduction to the Socially Engaged Design Process Model
Module 1 · 4 Hours to complete
Explore
Module 2 · 7 Hours to complete
Define
Module 3 · 5 Hours to complete
Ideate
Module 4 · 3 Hours to complete
Develop and Realize
Module 5 · 7 Hours to complete
Fee Structure
Payment options
Financial Aid
Instructors
Driving Socially Engaged Design
Charlie Michaels serves as the Managing Director of the Center for Socially Engaged Engineering & Design (C-SED) and is a Lecturer in the Design Science Program at the University of Michigan. He holds an MFA in Interdisciplinary Art & Design from the University of Michigan and a BFA from Bradley University. As a co-author of the Socially Engaged Design Process Model, Charlie leads the implementation of C-SED’s educational initiatives, including instructing the “SEED” course, where students collaborate with stakeholders to identify and develop solutions for critical social issues. He actively partners with faculty to integrate socially engaged content into the curriculum and manages the C-SED Lab, an interdisciplinary makerspace dedicated to building and prototyping innovative ideas.
Socially Engaged Engineering & Design Expert
Shanna Daly, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor, Director of Research & Evaluation, and Co-Founder of the Center for Socially Engaged Engineering & Design at the University of Michigan, brings interdisciplinary expertise to the exploration of engineering design practices. With a B.E. in Chemical Engineering and a Ph.D. in Engineering Education, Shanna’s research emphasizes front-end design processes, including concept generation, divergent and convergent thinking, and incorporating social and cultural contexts into engineering decision-making. Her Coursera course, "Introduction to Socially Engaged Design," leverages this research to explore creativity, innovation, and socially conscious design in engineering practices.
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