Fall 2023

What is Design Your Life?

In this course, you will learn to design your life both personally and professionally. Developed by the Stanford d.school, Design Your Life (DYL) is a set of principles that puts YOU in the driver’s seat to build a career with purpose and meaning. DYL provides you with the tools and the freedom to understand there are many ways to approach our jobs and futures. The process increases our empathy and resilience so that we can gain rapid momentum towards positive change. In addition, it empowers us to design creative solutions to “wicked problems” through collaboration, innovation and creativity.

Course Details:

Fall semester; first 7-week term [ 8/28/2023 - 10/20/2023 ]

• 2 sections; 60 students each

• Open to full or part-time faculty and staff who have been employed for 6 months [Graduate assistants or adjuncts are not eligible for this program]

• 1 semester hour credit; graded S/U

• Offered face to face on the main campus

• Class Meeting Times:

  • Tuesdays from noon-1:30 p.m. in RSC Pride room

  • Thursdays from 3:30-5 p.m. in RSC Pride room

• Tuition will be scholarshipped and fees waived

• Enroll in the course using our registration form.

Enrollment:

STAFF:  

• Staff will not be required to use vacation, lunch or comp time for the course, as it is considered professional development/training

• Registration form submissions will require approval from your direct supervisor

• Employees must be able to attend all face-to-face class meetings

FACULTY:

• Registration form submissions will require approval from your department head or dean

• Faculty must be available to attend all face-to-face class meetings at the main campus

Student Learning Outcomes

1. Students will identify their core values and how they contribute to the work they do.

2. Students will explore sources of motivation to increase performance and purpose in the work they do.

3. Students will learn the tools of brainstorming and prototyping to increase creativity, curiosity and collaboration.

4. Students will engage in goal-setting for their professional careers.

5. Students will analyze leadership frameworks in relation to their own career trajectories

Sustainability

Dr. Yvonne Villanueva-Russell will serve as the instructor of record for the spring 2023 semester. A team of facilitators already exists (all of whom have attended the Life Design Studio for Educators (virtually) at Stanford University:  

• Jayson Douglas, Executive Director of Student Access and Success

• Jennifer Hudson, Instructor, CID

• Sierra Jones, Director of First-Year Initiatives, CID

• Cindy Rios, Assistant Director, Intercultural Engagement and Leadership

• Chelse Lily, Life Design Fellow, CID
  

Tentative Course Outline

*In-class exercise
^Written Assignment

Date	Topic	Class Activities	Homework/Assignment
Week 1	Course Syllabus & Expectations	1] Syllabus 2] Commencement exercise 3] Group/classroom norms 4] Schmoozapalooza	Homework: Reflect on a time you did not succeed at something
Week 2	Failure Fest: Learning Resilience from Failing Early and Failing Often	1] Failure Fest 2] Failure Immunity Exercise 3] Failure Reflection*	Homework: Craft a needs statement (“How Might We”) based on our campus community^
Week 3	Brainstorming and Prototyping Through Radical Collaboration	1] Share needs statements 2] Brainstorming exercise in groups* 3] Prototyping individual needs1	Homework: Craft your value statement^
Week 4	WHY work?  Finding Purpose and Meaning in Your Job & Career	1] Value/North Star exercise*  2] Value Reflection*	Homework: Complete the ARC of your Career matrix^
Week 5	Showing Up as the Best Version of You at Work	1] ARC of your Career* 2] Advocating and Negotiating	Homework: Complete one version of your Odyssey Plan^
Week 6	Planning Your Future Self & Career	1] Odyssey Plans* 2) Leading into the future	Homework: Take It Home Canvas^
Week 7	Proactive Planning for the Summer and Fall	1] Take It Home Canvas 2] Goal Setting for Summer/Fall 3) Designing Your Future as a Campus Leader* 4] Closing Ceremony