Students will launch their community investigation by examining case-folder evidence, identifying stakeholders and system relationships, and developing empathy-centered questions that guide later research and solution design.

Students will gather direct community evidence, test assumptions from their case folders, and synthesize multiple perspectives into stakeholder profiles, a systems map, and a four-factor analysis. Teams will define an evidence-based design challenge, generate distinct solution concepts, and revise their selected direction through structured critique.

Students will build and test a low-fidelity solution prototype, use two rounds of stakeholder-centered feedback to make evidence-traceable revisions, and complete a validation checkpoint for their proposal package and public-facing poster set.

Students will defend their research-based community proposals before an authentic audience, respond to critique, submit curated evidence portfolios, and reflect on their academic and socio-emotional growth.