Challenge

The Williamsburg High School of Arts and Technology in Brooklyn wanted to cultivate the next generation of computer engineers—creative, innovative thinkers with both the hard and soft skills necessary to become leaders of the future. To get there, they wanted students to become co-creators in their own education, rather than passive recipients of it, but they weren’t sure how to engage students in this way.

Outcome

To guide WHSAT’s efforts to engage students in co-creation, the Openbox team first immersed ourselves in the school, observing and interviewing students and staff. We used learnings from this round of research to design three experiments, involving real issues around the school, that would bring students and staff together as thought partners. These experiments ran live across the school for a week, exploring variables such as decision moments, roles, location, and timing. The experiment insights allowed us to develop a set of practical co-creation principles that the school can readily build upon for future co-creation activities—amplifying the equitable, arts-based, and experimental ethos of the school.

Full case study coming soon.