# Digital Innovation Studio Program Proposal

La Salle College High School

## North Star

Students learn how to think with technology, not merely use technology. They notice real needs, frame problems worth solving, make useful prototypes, improve through feedback, and contribute work to a real audience.

## Course Philosophy

Technology keeps changing. The need to understand people does not.

Digital Innovation Studio helps students learn how to see problems, design better solutions, and build things that matter. They notice what is confusing, frustrating, missing, or full of possibility, then turn those observations into useful work for others.

AI and creative tools can help students move faster, but the real skill is learning what to make, why it matters, and how it could help someone. Students leave with more than a project. They leave with confidence, judgment, and a repeatable way to turn an idea into something useful.

## Lasallian Formation

In the Lasallian tradition, student gifts are formed for service. Digital Innovation Studio connects creative confidence with stewardship, community, integrity, and digital work that responds to human needs.

## The Studio Journey

Students use one repeatable six-step product-design process:

- NOTICE: Find a real need.
- FOCUS: Decide what is worth helping.
- DESIGN: Explore and choose a response.
- BUILD: Make the smallest useful version.
- TEST & IMPROVE: Learn from people and revise.
- SHARE: Put the work in people's hands and explain the learning.

## Studio Toolkit

Students work with contemporary creative and technical tools:

- Canva for visual communication, presentations, campaign assets, and exhibition materials.
- Figma for wireframes, interface planning, critique boards, and prototypes.
- OpenAI Codex for AI-assisted prototyping, debugging, iteration, documentation, and technical exploration.
- Responsible AI for research support, drafting, testing ideas, and improving rough work with verification.
- HTML and CSS for simple, testable web pages and prototypes.

Tools help students move faster, but they are not the whole point. The durable habits are observation, judgment, making, critique, communication, responsible AI, reflection, and contribution.

## Semester Model

The course runs as a 16-week semester studio and meets every four school days for one-hour studio blocks. Each meeting includes a driving question, short mini lesson, focused studio work, critique, reflection, and portfolio capture.

The semester moves from noticing and focusing through design, building, testing and improving, and sharing.

## Signature Projects

- Digital Identity
- Digital Product Pathway
- Learning Experience Pathway
- Service Or Story Pathway
- Community Finder
- Final Showcase Portfolio

## Assessment

Assessment values visible growth: noticing carefully, framing clearly, crafting useful work, testing and revising, using technology responsibly, and contributing to an audience.

Suggested weights:

- Process and Curiosity: 20%
- Clarity of Thinking: 15%
- Craft and Communication: 20%
- Iteration and Critique: 20%
- Ethical Judgment: 10%
- Contribution and Reflection: 15%

Technical perfection is not the primary measure. Students are assessed on evidence of growth, visible decision-making, responsible tool use, audience awareness, and meaningful contribution.

## Parent and Board Value

Students do not need to enter with advanced technical skill. The course is structured, coached, and portfolio-based. It develops observation, judgment, communication, craft, ethical technology use, service, and confidence.

## Registration Positioning

Digital Innovation Studio is for students ready to notice more carefully, ask better questions, design for people, use tools responsibly, and turn ideas into useful work for others.