“COVID affected me emotionally and took away my motivation to go to college. But I talked with a teacher who helped to motivate me to keep on going to college.”
Many high school students have begun to reconsider, revise, or delay their higher education plans due to the numerous challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. A recent publication from Community Design Partners, supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, showcases a three-day conference of students and educators called the Design Camp project that provides keen insight into students’ current circumstances as well as
student-generated “prototypes” to overcome their predicament.
The Dallas Design Camp project was intentionally developed to center under-resourced students and students of color in the process of brainstorming meaningful interventions alongside their counselors — utilizing the frameworks of “Design Thinking” and “Liberatory Design.”
Over the course of the project, the students – who graduated last spring – expressed five major themes in their reflections.
Students feel overwhelmed with remote learning and are uncertain about their future. One student describing her experience with online learning said, “I felt overwhelmed. I was not engaged second semester and did not want to continue my education
[to college] because of money.”
Students identified that having strong relationships with their teachers and counselors helped to alleviate feeling overburdened or anxious. In fact, the same student who reported feeling overwhelmed also said that meeting with her adviser
regularly made her more engaged throughout the semester.
Students, particularly first-generation students, frequently learned much about postsecondary options on their own, despite having some support from teachers and counselors.
Students’ family members have a fair share of influence over their postsecondary plans. Having familial support for postsecondary goals generally helped students feel more secure in them, while those lacking familial support were likely to
change their plans accordingly. In addition, concerns about finances was also a significant factor in students’ plans.
Students rely on their friends and peers for support as well. One student reported, “My friends, we push each other through the big things. Two are going to college and one is going to the [Navy]; they are pushing me to be the best. It makes
me feel great because we are almost like parents to each other.”
In conjunction with the identified themes, the student-generated “prototypes” address areas such as: strengthening relationships between students and counselors, involving family in postsecondary planning, and distributing information about postsecondary
options and planning.
In order to cultivate strong student-counselor relationships, students suggested one-on-one virtual counseling sessions as well as counselors designating time for office hours to allow students to set up appointments with them regarding their questions
or concerns. Furthermore, students urged for an accessible method of communication with their educators such as text messaging periodically to increase their comfortability with reaching out.
To improve familial involvement, students recommended virtual or in-person information sessions specifically designed for parents to learn more about postsecondary attainment processes. Additionally, students urged that schools organize virtual or in-person
college tours that families can attend alongside their students to ask further questions.
Moreover, students proposed that their schools coordinate with alumni and their families to discuss their experiences via social media. Students also recommended sessions geared toward improving financial literacy by creating a class or series of seminars
about how to make and manage money.
Lastly, students suggested that counselors distribute a personality and career aptitude test to match students with a mentor and explore potential avenues for them to pursue.
Beyond the proposed prototypes, perhaps the most valuable conclusion from the project is that all of the participants underscored that student involvement in creating better advising strategies is critical to the success of those strategies. Although
the pandemic has added many challenges to students’ transition from high school to a postsecondary path, this report shows students can provide thoughtful and innovative ideas to remedy the situation.
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