Michigan State University’s Hub for Innovation in Learning & Technology was a brand new organization on MSU’s campus when I was hired as a researcher and designer. The goal of the Hub is to create a more valuable student experience on campus by accelerating new ways to collaborate, research, learn and deliver instruction. The Hub’s directors, Jeff Grabill and Leigh Graves Wolf, wanted to create a culture where students were viewed as equal colleagues and their voices were heard throughout the Hub’s work.

Chloe Foster, one of my many talented colleagues, and I worked together to design the framework for a culture that would help facilitate this kind of work environment. We quickly transformed the name of our project from “Architecture for Student Involvement” to “Framework for Hub Culture” to emphasize the idea that the way students would, be involved in the Hub would not be much different from the work of full-time staff members.

Chloe and I brainstormed together and teased out our ideas into a report. We invented ways to create a valuable, engaging internship experience, improve communication between Hub employees, and increase the opportunities for students to become involved in the Hub's work. An excerpt from the report we collboratively wrote can be found here.