IDEA Design Academy
Join Innovation, Design, and Entrepreneurship Academy (IDEA) for a design challenge!
At Rutgers, IDEA is an undergraduate program that integrates design and entrepreneurial thinking into the student experience and allows them to explore the innovation process by thinking about what problems they would like to solve.
This academy is an intensive experience to introduce design thinking to high school students. During the week, students will learn design methods for problem solving and how they can be used to pursue an idea related to one of the United Nations Sustainability Goals or other areas of mutual interest.
Students will take part in a fast-paced design challenge that will enable them to be able to:
- Explain how the design process can be used for problem solving a problem area of interest
- Use journey maps to visual a process
- Practice select design research methods such as
- Secondary research
- Brainstorming
- Question generation (HMW)
- Ideation
- Idea Prioritization
- Creating / Making
- Pitching
Academy Overview
Who
Students completing their sophomore and junior year, ages 16 to 18 by Summer 2025
What
A commuter, in-person summer program to learn about design thinking for problem solving
When
July 28 - August 1, 2025
Where
Rutgers–New Brunswick in New Jersey
Daily Sample Schedule
Below is the sample schedule for a student in the Design Academy with topics that the academy will cover during the week. Schedule is subject to change.
*Commuter students will be given options to engage in some evening activities pre-planned ahead of time with their cohort. All activities are supervised by a residential or program assistant. Those events are not reflected in this sample schedule.
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8:00am Drop-off 9:00am Welcome Orientation
• Introductions, Ice Breaker, Activity11:00am Lecture Topics:
• Intro to design thinking for problem solving
Lecture Goals:
• Explain how the design process can be used for problem solving a problem area of interest12:00pm Lunch 1:00pm Lecture Topics:
• What problems do you want to solve?
Lecture Goals:
• Identifying when to use design5:00pm Pick-up -
8:00am Drop-off 9:00am Lecture Topics:
• Who am I designing with?
Lecture Goals:
• Discuss how and when to engage with a community to understand a problem12:00pm Lunch 1:00pm Lecture Topics:
• What is their journey (map)?
Lecture Goals:
• Create a journey map for a community based on a problem they want to solve5:00pm Pick-up -
8:00am Drop-off 9:00am Lecture Topics:
• Sketches, Mockups, and Prototypes
Lecture Goals:
• Define sketches, mock-ups and prototypes in the context of experimenting with a hypothesis
• Develop, share, and iterate upon a sketch, mockup, or prototype for a problem area of interest12:00pm Lunch 1:00pm Lecture Topics:
• What could go wrong?
Lecture Goals:
• Discuss the unintended consequences of using the design process and the solutions it creates5:00pm Pick-up -
8:00am Drop-off 9:00am Lecture Topics:
• Quick-and-dirty usability testsLecture Goals:
• Provide peer feedback12:00pm Lunch 1:00pm Lecture Topics:
• Pitching a design conceptLecture Goals:
• Develop and present a pitch deck of a design solution to gain support from decision makers and provide a road map for moving forward5:00pm Pick-up -
8:00am Drop-off 9:00am Lecture Topics:
• Reflecting back: Our journey mapLecture Goals:
• Identify individual skills or characteristics developed over the week12:00pm Lunch 1:00pm Individual Reflection
Lecture Goals:
• Identify and pursue opportunities that align with their values and goals5:00pm Break to get ready for dinner and ceremony 6:00pm Dinner & Certificate Ceremony for students
Learn More
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