Calling All Stanford Graduate Students: Check Out Our Class on Creating Infectious Engagement

If you are a Stanford graduate student and interested in taking a d.school class that is at the intersection of design thinking and business problems, please consider applying for our class on Creating Infectious Engagement.  Here is the description:

Management Science & Engineering 288 (NEW AND IMPROVED)

Creating Infectious Engagement

Teaching Team: Debra Dunn, Kerry O'Connor, and Bob Sutton

With Special Appearances by d.school Stars: Diego Rodriguez and Perry Klebahn

Projects: 

Work with people at Facebook to spread usage beyond the core demographic

Work with people at Google, Microsoft, the World Wildlife Fund, and other organizations, on the Climate Savers Computing project to reduce the energy consumed by computers

Time: Monday, 5:00 - 6:30pm; Thursday 3:15 - 6:15pm

NOTE: The deadline for application this class is extended until March 15^th because we have substituted the Climate Savers project for the Fidelity project (due to a rather wild and unexpected turn of events). We love the new project and hope that Stanford students will too. If you have already applied to the class, there is no need to do so again.

DESCRIPTION: This class will immerse Stanford masters students in the practice and theory of spreading ideas that result in persistent behavioral changes.  Student teams will complete hands-on projects with Facebook and the Climate Savers Computing project (an organization that brings together organizations including Google, Microsoft, Lenovo, Dell, HP, Intel, the World Wildlife Fund, and many others, to change how computers are designed and used to reduce energy consumption).  These projects will be guided, coached, and evaluated by members of these organizations and other business leaders, along with members of the teaching team.  In addition, brief "thought bombs" will presented in most classes on pertinent topics including developing ideas that stick, leading social movements, behavioral decision theory, network theory, interpersonal persuasion, examples of ideas that have spread (e.g., the Institute for Health Improvement’s efforts to save 100,000 lives in U.S. hospitals) and seemingly unsuccessful ideas (e.g., The Segway). The class will also host an open conference on creating infectious engagement on May 1^st, 2008 that will address related topics.  If you are interested in learning more about the work done in past versions of this class and related classes that address the intersection between design thinking and business,  check out this story in the Stanford Daily, this story in InformationWeek, and postings here and here at Metacool and here at Work Matters.

We invite all Stanford graduate students to apply for the class. We select students for both their individual background and skills and, especially, to round out our multi-disciplinary teams.  This is a high commitment class and will require intensive teamwork.  If you are interested in applying to the class, please send a resume and statement to [email protected] (no more than 500 words) about why you are interested in taking the class and will be a constructive part of it.  Additionally, please list your experiences, if any, with d.school classes.  Applications are due March 15 and admissions to the class will be announced on March 19.    Also, if you have any questions, please write Debra, Kerry, or Bob.