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Amy Vecchione and Karina Smith

Amy Vecchione, associate professor in Albertsons Library, and Karina Smith, academic development and recovery coordinator, presented at the international conference Library 2.018 Worldwide Virtual Conference: Design Thinking. Their presentation, titled “Student Success + Design Thinking,” describes a pilot project in which Vecchione and Smith collaborated to co-teach design thinking skills to at-promise students. The students designed services, prototypes, events, and structures that the university could employ to empower and assist all students, especially those struggling. Students struggle for a variety of reasons. School systems are complex areas to navigate, and often times, school success is defined by how well a student can navigate the cultural and societal landscape of a school or university. Makerspaces are well-equipped to work with this population as experiential learning relies on the experiences and knowledge acquired through fixing and making. Over 150 individuals from around the world attended their presentation.