Using Authentic Feedback in a COVID-19 Design Hackathon
In Engineering for Social Good, students developed proposals for design ideas intended to serve populations affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Early drafts included a problem statement, a proposal, and rough prototype designs on paper or in CAD.
The instructional move was to introduce an authentic audience before the designs felt finished. Reviewers used a common set of criteria to identify promising ideas and offer actionable feedback. Students then had evidence for revision beyond a teacher's opinion.
The public rating phase is no longer linked here because the learning design matters more than publishing individual work. The reusable structure is simple:
- Frame a real community need.
- Require an early, imperfect proposal.
- Give reviewers shared criteria focused on usefulness, feasibility, and dignity.
- Ask teams to identify which feedback will change the design and why.
- Support the strongest revisions with another prototype cycle.
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