Every summer from 2016 through 2019, University of Michigan School of Information (UMSI) graduate students traveled to South Africa with the Global Information Engagement Program (GIEP) to address the information challenges of social service nonprofits and cultural heritage organizations.
Interdisciplinary U-M and UMSI students who participated in GIEP during the summer of 2021 experienced the program through a new lens, working under a revamped program model and navigating domestic and international internships remotely for the first time.
GIEP lecturer Jen Chizek says the newly redesigned model broadened the focus of the program for 2021 to include multiple locations with projects in Detroit and Lansing, Michigan; Cape Town, South Africa; and Southwest Florida.
A new GIEP experience years in the making
The course curriculum was also redesigned to focus on human-centered and culturally responsive design, taking a deep dive into topics such as cultural humility, social identities, power and privilege, social justice, and community engagement, Chizek says.
GIEP offers a facilitated three-week course and an immersive nine-week internship, allowing U-M graduate students in interdisciplinary teams an opportunity to gain a foundation of skills and then immediately apply them in a real-world setting.
Chizek and program co-lecturer Kelly Kowatch supported eight project teams of interdisciplinary students in 2021, first in a virtual classroom setting and then through the process of co-creating information-focused deliverables for their partner organizations.
“The 23 students worked with organizations on diverse issues, including housing and land development in Detroit, gaining access to identification documents for incarcerated people, assessing civic digital resources to mitigate basement flooding, and preserving the legacy and heritage of a South African neighborhood demolished during Apartheid,” Chizek says.
Kowatch emphasizes that the goals of the projects are multifaceted when working in a community context.
“We are seeking to improve the immediate information practices of the organizations that students work with, in addition to igniting a deeper, long-term understanding for these organizations about what it means to be information-driven,” she says. “For students, the goal is to provide them with a rich and immersive experience, allowing them to apply what they are learning in the classroom through complex and contextual challenges posed by community organizations.”
Collaborate and learn through diverse information challenges
Michigan-based Master of Science in Information student Leen Habbal and her GIEP team interned at Collaboratory, a community problem-solving foundation in Fort Myers, Florida.
Collaboratory needed GIEP students to leverage their user experience (UX) design skills and help standardize products and services. The team was tasked with guiding material development for future Collaboratory employees who will be embedded in neighborhoods and smaller communities for a deeper, grassroots connection.
They also needed to develop strategies and interactions that will deepen existing partners’ connection with Collaboratory and attract new organizations and individuals to take advantage of the products and services Collaboratory offers. That comes through better defined engagement with local nonprofits, increased donations and participation in community networks.
“Employees, donors and external stakeholders needed a way to empathize and feel more connected to the people they were serving,” says Habbal. “It’s very important for the organization and the employees to feel like what they’re doing has an impact.”
Habbal and her teammates sharpened information skills building wireframes, exploring softwares for social listening and data collection, and ideating a curated regional social media feed in response to Collaboratory’s challenges.
“When I was first applying to UMSI, I literally looked at all the programs the school has to offer,” Habbal says. “When I found the Engaged Learning Office and GIEP, I felt it was one of the best ways to get as much out of the school as I could. And with the program being remote this year, it all worked out.”
Virtual realities
Habbal says her GIEP experience has brought new perspective on both addressing and facing information challenges via remote work.
“That’s how the real world works,” she says. “Be creative and positive, because that’s a testament of your work ethic and personality.”
GIEP instructors plan to offer in-person internship opportunities during the summer of 2022, but the dedicated support Chizek, Kowatch and individual team mentors demonstrated during pandemic circumstances will remain a hallmark of the program.
“Whenever we felt stuck it was always easy for us to reach out to them, get a few ideas,” Habbal says. She and her team met with their designated project mentor, U-M staff member and UMSI alumna Marissa Taylor of the Center for Educational Outreach, on a weekly basis, and even met up with her for coffee on campus.
“With constant communication and these few social activities, that was a great way to foster a team connection,” Habbal says.
Kowatch says the virtual nature of the 2021 program offered some benefits along with the obvious challenges.
“Because we were able to teach the course remotely, we were able to work with new partners from local and global locations and include students from various U-M departments who typically are not able to participate. The virtual format allowed for increased access for all stakeholders and was a scaffolding experience for our return to in-person program in 2022,” says Kowatch.
Because of continued pandemic-related uncertainty, the summer 2022 GIEP program is being planned for in-person engagement to multiple locations within the United States.
“Understand their needs — and only then do work to fulfill their needs”
The Global Information Engagement Program’s revamped, culturally responsive curriculum also prepares students to engage in diverse and socially engaged projects, meaningfully connecting and co-creating impact with partner organizations.
Sushmitha Rao is a Master of Science in Information student from Troy, Michigan pursuing a master’s thesis option related to gender studies. She says she transitioned from a career in the automotive industry to information science because she became interested in how data can change lives.
Rao is taking advantage of UMSI programs like GIEP to build toward a career in nonprofits/non-governmental organizations.
“GIEP encourages us to create personal connections with our community partner organizations, understand their needs, and only then do work to fulfill their needs,” Rao says.
Rao and her team worked with Family Initiative, a Southwest Florida-based nonprofit offering child welfare services for foster parents and children as well as Autism Spectrum Disorder services for the community. The Family Initiative project was initiated with the goal of using data to better understand the impact of training for foster parents and whether their ability to be great foster parents was improved through such trainings.
Rao and her teammates spent their time at Family Initiative evaluating their child welfare services through analysis of data collected and interviews with organization employees, people who have used services in the past, and people who intend to use services in the future. Analyzing the existing data, combined with interview outcomes, resulted in actionable steps to improve participation through new surveys. The team also introduced an automated workflow and defined data structures and collection strategies to store and track data more efficiently.
“Our experience with GIEP summed up in one word was phenomenal,” says Leigh Ann Drew, Family Initiative program manager for Sarasota, Manatee and Desoto Counties. “All the students immersed themselves in our organization to learn not only the program in which they were assigned to assist but how their project can grow to impact the other programs offered in our organization.”
Drew says, “They fully invested in ensuring the work we do and the impact we make can be clearly translated into data that tells a story.”
Learn more about the Global Information Engagement Program and how to apply.
