BRYN MAWR COLLEGE
Developing an undergraduate
Education major at Bryn Mawr
TEAM
7 undergraduates studying Education
Department Head
Department faculty
TIMELINE
2022 - 2023, 9 months
ROLE
Learning Experience Designer
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Historically, Bryn Mawr had
only offered an Education minor.
Over the years, many students had expressed interest in a corresponding Education major. In Fall 2022, I was selected to join a group of students and faculty designing this major. Our proposal was presented to the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee last spring and implemented Fall 2023.
MY ROLE
I had just begun learning about the field of UX, and I was eager to apply it.
This project seemed like the perfect opportunity. I led UX research to uncover pain points in the existing minor, collaborated with peers and faculty to redesign the Education curriculum, and had fun exploring the intersection between UX methods and education theory in the process!
DESIGN PROCESS
KEY CHALLENGES
Understanding Constraints
Due to resource constraints, we couldn't hire new professors, offer more courses, or make drastic changes to the contents of existing classes.
Identifying Stakeholders
We sought insights from three groups:
-
Current Education minors
-
Education department faculty
-
Alumni working in the field
Qualitative Research
My peers did a competitive analysis of peer institutions’ education programs, while I conducted needfinding surveys and semi-structured interviews with current students.
Communicating Our Findings
We co-wrote an official proposal for the major, which was approved by Bryn Mawr’s Curriculum Committee.
Implementing Plans
The summer after graduation, I continued working with the Education Department to create resources for incoming students interested in the new major.
01. How might we develop a flexible major track that supports students pursuing various career paths, given limited resources?
At first, we hoped to expand the size of the department and offer more courses, but we quickly learned that this wouldn't be possible.
Although constraints were frustrating at times, they pushed us to think creatively. For instance, we partnered with other departments, so that we could include their courses as electives for the major.
01. How might we articulate the importance of these changes to Bryn Mawr's administration?
Beyond just creating a plan for the major, we needed to secure approval from the Curriculum Committee.
To do so, we wrote and presented a detailed report, backed by findings from our user research. UX frameworks were crucial in helping our team gain a deeper understanding of how best to support students' varying educational journeys.
NEEDFINDING & DEVELOPING SOLUTIONS
My needfinding surveys and interviews revealed seven key problems with the existing Education minor. Here are a few of them:
What's the problem?
How did we solve it?
It was hard to get a seat in the required "entry point" course.
Alumni felt unprepared to enter careers in higher education.
Students wanted to specialize in different pathways.
Some felt that the department lacks a sense of community.
Expanded the number of existing courses that count as entry points, and established criteria to categorize future courses as entry points.
Proposed a new course taught by senior Education majors, to give them experience designing a college curriculum without creating additional work for professors.
Established four new specialization options for the major: Elementary Education, Secondary Education, Higher Education, and Teaching in Out-of-School Contexts.
Developed an Accountability Partner program and other opportunities to build community within the department.
NEW EDUCATION MAJOR
Integrating these ideas, we developed the official requirements for the major.
OUTCOMES
After just one semester, the new major has proven to be highly successful.
Although the raw numbers may seem small, Bryn Mawr has fewer than 2000 students total, so they represent a significant portion of the college population.
Over time, the scope of this project also expanded. I worked one-on-one with the department chair to develop a new advising system and created resources for incoming students.
27
students have declared an Education Major since its implementation in Fall 2023
50%
increase in average number of students pursuing teaching certification per class year
15
courses from a variety of departments added as electives for the new major
REFLECTION
So how do UX research and education theory connect?
One thing I love about UX is its applicability to so many different contexts. As someone who values interdisciplinary learning, I'm always thinking about how my approach to UX is informed by my background in education and cognitive psychology.
Human-centered design = learner-centered pedagogy
Both methods encourage active student or user engagement and embrace continuous iteration of teaching methods / designs.
Empathy is key to being a good teacher or designer
Empathy fosters a learner-centered or human-centered mindset that is essential for creating positive and impactful experiences in both domains.
Constraints can
be a catalyst for creativity
Constraints in UX and education encourage innovative problem-solving and push people to think outside traditional boundaries.
Information accessibility is a
critical concern
Whether designing next-gen technologies or new curricula, the goal is to make information and learning accessible to all.
I truly believe that the most effective educators practice user experience techniques in the classroom every day. The essence of teaching lies in understanding students' diverse backgrounds, catering to their needs, and creating engaging experiences to facilitate learning.