In summer 2020, the Sasaki Foundation launched an online design education curriculum based on our Summer Exploratory Experience in Design (SEED) internship. The COVID-19 pandemic had forced us to shift the program to virtual. We decided to take advantage, recording our Zoom sessions and then adapting the content into an online format. Our hope was to reach students unable to participate in our in-person program, and we did it! SEED Online has registered 100+ students from across the United States and from 25 countries.
But we recognize the limitations. The online platform wasn’t created specifically for this type of content. The videos weren’t created specifically for an online audience. Many of you didn’t make it through the entire course (we get it!). And so we’re planning for SEED Online 2.0. In the meantime, we are not accepting new registrations, and our current SEED Online curriculum will go offline March 8, 2024. When the new curriculum is available, we’ll announce it via our newsletter and social media channels.
And if you are currently a high school student in Boston or the Metro North region and would like to continue exploring careers in design, apply today for our 2024 SEED internship! We are also seeking design teaching assistants to help guide this in-person program. If you’re two to three years out of high school and have a design background, we invite you to apply.
Thank you so much for the time you’ve taken to explore careers in design through our SEED Online curriculum. If you have any questions, please reach out.
What You’ll Learn
Through the online courses, you’ll explore the fields of architecture, interior design, planning and urban design, and landscape architecture. You’ll learn about the questions designers ask and the tools they use. You’ll watch interviews with design professionals. And you’ll practice common design techniques and tools.
And if you want even more, each spring the Sasaki Foundation opens applications for our Summer Exploratory Experience in Design (SEED). Spend your summer collaborating on a project while learning directly from Sasaki designers!
The online curriculum is a partnership between the Sasaki Foundation, Sasaki, and American Student Assistance and is based on the 2020 Summer Exploratory Experience in Design (SEED) internship for Greater Boston high school students, hosted by the Sasaki Foundation.
What is design?
Do you look at the world around you and wonder: how can I make things better? Do you notice details of buildings that your friends don’t? Do you doodle in class? If this sounds like you, you might be interested in design. There are a lot of different types of design: designers design chairs, and designers design neighborhoods. But even at these different scales, designers ask similar types of questions and use the same types of tools. In these courses, you’ll learn about a few different types of design practiced at Sasaki, including planning and urban design, landscape architecture and ecology, and architecture and interior design.
Want to learn more? Create a login to access the courses below. (Download the syllabus to see what’s covered in each course.)
You’ll need to complete the short welcome survey before you dive in. Each course offers content and activities (the activities build on each other from courses 1 to 3). You can save your progress, allowing you to go at your own pace. At the end, please take the short closing survey to see how the courses have changed your perspective on design. You’ll also receive a completion certificate and be entered into a quarterly drawing for cool prizes!
NOTE: These courses are best viewed on a larger screen, like a laptop or tablet.