Feedback from alumni of the DI Faculty Fellows Program demonstrates that this experience has been incredibly helpful in enabling them to extend beyond their academic fields to collaborate and enhance their project ideas. It also allowed them to develop and prototype innovative solutions that may not have otherwise been supported as part of their academic unit’s traditional research/teaching expectations. These outcomes have transformed how they engage in their research/creative practices, as well as informed human-centered design and collaborative innovation teaching methods and approaches to bring back to their department and colleagues.
DI Faculty Fellows alumni have the opportunity to:
- Incorporate design thinking/human-centered design and collaborative methodologies to cultivate inclusive team communication, visualization, thinking, and doing.
- Participate in long-term leadership and decision-making activities in support of the DI initiative.
- Advise other DI collaborators on project support, makerspace use and innovations.
- Provide mentorship in idea generation and implementation.
- Provide insight on grant research and writing.
- Engage with external/community partners.
If selected, DI Faculty Fellows receive a $5,000 stipend and up to $1000 of spendable funds (purchasing managed by DI) to support their project goals. DI also supports faculty fellows to disseminate their work in peer-reviewed venues to add critical contributions that advance human-centered-design approaches and/or technology-led collaborative innovation strategies beyond the boundaries of Kent State.