Engaged Faculty Fellowship Program
Denise Ramzy
Working with community partners in a professional setting challenges students’ limits and reminds them of the importance of ethical practice.
About the Fellow
- Senior Lecturer, Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, SC Johnson College of Business
- Denise Ramzy’s faculty profile
Cohort year(s)
- 2018-19, Faculty Fellow in Engaged Learning
Topic(s)
- Arts, Communication, Media and Design; Economic Vitality and Entrepreneurship
2018-19 Project
Design thinking, or human-centered design, is a successful method for solving complex product development and business problems, but smaller firms rarely have in-house design strategists or funds to hire external experts to make use of this approach. In Denise Ramzy’s course, students serve as business design consultants for client-partners whose work aligns with themes of the Dyson School’s Grand Challenges program, including food choice and human health, climate change and green businesses. Students practice the key techniques of design thinking: ethnographic research techniques, visioning workshops, collaborative work in multidisciplinary teams, and visualization and storytelling methods. The students’ work generates tested concepts that clients can use internally and within their communities.
Engaged Faculty Fellowship Program
A yearlong cohort program in which faculty dive deep into the theory and practice of community-engaged learning; meet monthly to discuss readings, share projects and workshop challenges; and help transform what it means to teach at Cornell