Collaborative and Iterative UX Curriculum Development

The field of user experience (UX) has grown tremendously in the past two decades, as have professional opportunities. A discipline that had long been undervalued and marginalized is now an integral part of industries ranging from software and hardware design and development to healthcare, civil engineering, architecture, government, and beyond. The need for UX education to prepare students for this expanding field has never been greater. Yet, few universities offer comprehensive UX curricula.

This interactive presentation will lead participants through the collaborative process by which faculty, students, and industry partners are shaping the UX curriculum at a Midwestern university. We will discuss how continually evolving industry practices are integrated into class projects, how UX practitioners partner with student groups to work together on real-world projects, and how this integration leads directly to employment opportunities for recent graduates.

You will learn

• About the innovative structure and pedagogy of a particular User Experience course
• How UX practitioners help continuously shape the course projects and learning objectives
• How experiential UX learning activities lead to deep learning and insight
• An approach to professional-academic collaboration that leads to increased resources for industry partners and invaluable learning experiences for students