Session 2 — Design Thinking + Institute Preparation
Session 2 — Design Thinking + In-Person Institute Preparation ✅
August 5, 2026 · COMPLETED · Hosted by Sandra Nagy, Les McBeth, and Diane Rutherford (Future Design School), with Marta McAlister, Director of Gemini for Education
Agenda
- Higher Education at Google
- Gemini Updates
- Spark Sessions
- Breakouts
- Design Thinking Methodology
- Institute Details
The headline: Google named my problem, on a Google slide
Marta McAlister split the AI question into three parts: how we teach and learn, how we assess, and how we streamline administration. Her assessment slide read:
She then contrasted output-based assessment against process-based assessment, defining the latter as multimodal synthesis, active interrogation of AI output, and a portfolio of evidence where the grade evaluates the entire process, not just the final product. That is CPA, in Google's own words. At the Institute, position CPA as the discipline-specific implementation of the shift Google is already naming.
Gemini updates that affect CPA
| Update | Status | Why it matters for CPA |
|---|---|---|
| Notebooks in Gemini | Coming soon | Students organize chats and projects into notebooks. A ready-made container for the CPA evidence trail. |
| Temporary chats | Available now | Not saved to history. A risk to process evidence: students need to know which chats leave a record. |
| Classroom app in Gemini | Available now (18+) | Educators can use class context — assignments, grades, materials — to analyze progress. A possible route to reduce CPA grading load. |
| Share chats and Canvas via Drive | Available now | A distribution path for process artifacts between student, faculty, and reviewer. |
| Public notebooks | Coming soon | A plausible open-source channel for publishing the AI Pedagogy Toolkit. |
Design Thinking mindset (Google's three pillars)
Futures Lab — a concrete partnership opening for FIT
An 8-week Google program that brings together students across majors to build real AI prototypes with Google mentors. Skills named: vibe coding, cross-department collaboration, communication, and design thinking through empathy and user feedback.
"As artificial intelligence reshapes entry-level work, universities face a critical question: how do we ensure graduates remain resilient, adaptable and work-ready in an automated world?" — Arathi Sethumadhavan, Director of UX Research, Technology & Society, Google
Action: raise Futures Lab in the Institute ask. It is the clearest existing structure for a FIT partnership.
Breakout discussion prompts
- Challenge statement from the first session
- Target user group
- Key assumptions you are looking to test
- Initial ideas for your solution
- Critical questions still to address
What Google assigned for the Institute
- Problem Breakdown — a Socratic audit of the institutional challenge
- Empathy Interviews — insights from key campus stakeholders
- Vulnerability Map — where the current prototype's "blocks" exist
Scaling work carried into the Institute
- Define the AI Pedagogy Toolkit — what's in it, who's it for
- Map adoption pathway: FIT → SUNY → global design programs
- Identify Google for Education partnership opportunities (Futures Lab is the concrete opening)
- Draft open-source distribution model (public notebooks as a possible channel)
- Frame Pomelli + expanded Nano Banana use as Phase 2
Vision: The AI Pedagogy Toolkit (Open Source)
- CPA rubric templates (adaptable across design disciplines)
- Google Stitch workflow example for UX/UI educators
- Gemini Notebook research-to-wireframe example
- Empowering Design Education with AI (sabbatical book) — the pedagogical foundation behind the toolkit