BGSU expands Life Design to local high school to help solve national teacher shortage (2024)

By Laren Kowalczyk ‘07

In the four years since Life Design launched at Bowling Green State University, the groundbreaking program has become a fundamental part of the undergraduate experience — core to the University’s mission of redefining student success.

Those same design thinking principles taught to BGSU students are now being introduced to high school students in Washington Local Schools in Toledo as part of a grant-funded program to increase interest and diversity in the teaching profession, which continues to face nationwide shortages.

The efforts underscore the University’s commitment to responding to workforce demands through innovative partnerships and unique programming, creating a pipeline for Whitmer High School students to pursue degrees in education at BGSU, home to a nationally ranked teacher education program.

“Design thinking is incredibly beneficial in helping BGSU students determine what they want to do and who they want to become,” said Dr. Emilio Duran, a science education professor in the BGSU School of Inclusive Teacher Education and director of the Northwest Ohio Center for Excellence in STEM Education (NWO/COSMOS).

“Introducing design thinking principles at the high school level can profoundly impact the career pathway students follow. We want to continue fostering students’ interest in becoming teachers while providing them with creative problem-solving skills that are beneficial in all aspects of their lives.”

Developed by entrepreneurs and brought to education, Life Design at BGSU leverages design thinking to equip students with the tools to navigate challenges and empower them to design their futures.

Once a week, BGSU Life Design Coach Greg Dickerson and Whitmer Career and Technology teacher Felicia Singleton co-teach Life Design to freshmen and sophom*ores in a class called Introduction to the Teaching Profession.

The class is one component of a broader program called Project EDUCATE (Educators of Diversity: Unified and Collaborative to Aspire Teacher Education), which is funded by a grant from the Ohio Deans Compact on Exceptional Children to recruit, support, retain and sustain people of color in the education field and workforce.

Since receiving the grant in 2021, BGSU has worked with Washington Local Schools to bolster interest in education careers among students from racially, culturally and ethnically minoritized groups through workshops, after-school programs, mentorship and campus visits.

During campus visits, students in eighth grade and high school participate in a Mursion virtual simulation and a Life Design session in the Geoffrey H. Radbill Center for College and Life Design. They also engage in round-table discussions with current BGSU education students, attend pre-service education panels and tour the Classroom Technology Center, Curriculum Resource Center and Planetarium.

Life Design was incorporated into the classroom curriculum in 2024 as a novel approach to addressing the teacher shortage crisis. Duran said having BGSU faculty members teach Life Design in high school could provide a necessary cultural shift in how students perceive the profession.

“We’re building trust and authenticity with students about what is required to be a teacher and what skills and competencies they need to be successful,” Duran said. “We’re equipping them with design thinking tools to map out their future and understand how to navigate challenges they may encounter along the way.”

Students also build a connection with BGSU through Dickerson and during visits to campus, which can increase familiarity and comfort in pursuing higher education.

During class, Dickerson helps students understand how their values and beliefs intersect with their career aspirations, a key part of Life Design.

Dickerson also uses fun and engaging activities to teach students how to use design thinking and collaboration to solve challenging problems. For example, students had to pretend they were on a sinking boat and work together to determine the five items they would take to survive on an island.

“A significant focus of design thinking is collaboration and communication,” Dickerson said. “We want them to work as a team. Many of the exercises we do in class reinforce the importance of collaboration in developing a creative solution to a complex problem.”

Representation is another crucial component of the initiative. Dickerson noted that only 20% of teachers nationwide are from underrepresented groups despite students of color making up more than half of the public school population.

Singleton further emphasized the importance of students having role models who look like them.

“When students see a person of color who is a successful teacher, it’s a journey they can see themselves taking,” she said. “If you see somebody who has already walked that path, the footsteps are easier to follow.”

Singleton said the Introduction to the Teaching Profession class size has doubled in the three years since Project EDUCATE began.

“I’m excited to see how much more we can increase interest among our students,” Singleton said. “Our partnership with BGSU and Project EDUCATE has brought new energy into the program, and I envision the addition of Life Design will have a similar effect.”