philip lelyveld The world of entertainment technology

STANFORD’S MOST POPULAR CLASS ISN’T COMPUTER SCIENCE—IT’S CALLED “DESIGNING YOUR LIFE”

Evans divides the course into two parts: first, he says, "We reframe the problem. That’s where dysfunctional beliefs get blown-up. Then we give them a set of tools and ideas to take steps to start building the way forward." Each course section convenes for one quarter, two hours per week.

Here's what they learn: gratitude; generosity; self-awareness; adaptability. All reinforced by design thinking-based tools, from a daily gratitude journal to a deck of cards featuring problem-solving techniques. In lieu of a final exam—the class is pass/fail—students present three radically different five-year plans to their peers. Alumni say they still refer back their "odyssey plans"—a term that Evans coined—and revise them as their lives and careers progress. ...

The goal of "Designing Your Life," he says, is to change higher education—not by returning to religion, but by reintroducing methods of "forming you into the person that will go out into the world, effect change, and be a leader."

That message resonates with Stanford students. They are filled with a sense of purpose and determined to solve the world's problems—but ill-equipped, in our secular society, to make sense of what they value. ...

As Burnett sees it, the course is also a neat fit for the mercurial economy that students are graduating into. "The thing that’s true about design problems is that you don’t know what the solution is going to look like. You don’t start with the problem; you start with people," he says. "You create a point of view about what a better consumer experience would be. Then you prototype, you test, and you constantly change your point of view. That’s perfect for your 'Designing Your Life.' You can’t know the future, but you can know what’s available and you can prototype different versions of the you that you might become." ...

That approach stands in contrast to the habit of "accumulating accolades" that Burnett sees many students exhibiting at Stanford. ...

Stanford administrators have taken notice of reactions like Xu’s. "It’s a model, as an administrator, that is not cheap, because it’s hands-on and requires small groups," says Harry Elam, vice provost of undergraduate education. Nonetheless, he has asked Evans to develop a pared-down version of "Designing Your Life" for freshmen and sophomores as a complement to their academic advising. The resulting program, "Designing Your Stanford," launched with its first cohort last fall.

Read the full story here: http://www.fastcompany.com/3044043/most-creative-people/stanfords-most-popular-class-isnt-computer-science-its-something-much-m?curator=MediaREDEF