Not for Profit & Design Partnership Survey
25 July 2013 at 10:04 am
A Queensland University Ph.D student is investigating how undergraduate design students and Not for Profit organisations can form mutually beneficial partnerships that positively impact the community.
Natalie Whitlock Stephenson a Ph.D. candidate with the School of Creative Arts at James Cook University in Townsville, has developed an online survey for directors and managers of Not for Profit organisations as a way to help better understand the design-related needs of local communities.
"A hypothesis of this research is that Not for Profit organisations have significant design-related needs but little to no resources available for creative services. On the flip side, while studying at university, undergraduate design students are learning how to create logos, posters, brochures, websites, etc. but lack professional experience.
“So how can Not for Profit organisations and undergraduate design students form mutually beneficial partnerships?
“Not for Profit responses will help to represent the community voice in research about university-community partnerships, and they will also shape approaches to service-learning in design education.
“Service-learning integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection” Stephenson said.
“Students apply what they learn in the classroom to solve real problems in the community. Educators facilitate the service-learning experience, which should be mutually beneficial for students and the community.
“In design education, service-learning often occurs during (and after) a ‘live project’ that is coordinated by a lecturer during a teaching period. Projects may involve students creating promotional material for a fundraising event (e.g. an event logo, poster and digital ad) or a visual identity system and website for a newly formed organisation.
“In addition to visual communication, can design add value to Not for Profits in other ways? Take service innovation, for example. Can design students, under the supervision of lecturers and tutors, work with organisations to discover opportunities for human-centered service design?
“The lack of literature on this topic warrants a survey to learn more about the design-related needs that exist at not-for-profit organisations,” Stephenson said.
“The survey has been designed to also identify assets. For example, what can Not for Profit organisations teach design students about business operations, client communication and contextual factors that shape a project?
“It seems like a win-win relationship, but I need Not for Profit help to better understand the potential benefits and impact that service-learning could have on the community."
Stephenson estimates that the survey will take 20 minutes to complete. The first page contains detailed information about this study.
Questions about the study can be directed to Natalie Stephenson (natalie.stephenson@my.jcu.edu.au) or her research supervisor, Professor Ryan Daniel (ryan.daniel@jcu.edu.au).
