What is IDEO

This chapter describes how the promotion of empathy in an academic support unit at a higher education institution enabled the design thinking process to generate programs designed around student retention. Empathy empowered staff to understand retention as a complex construct called a “wicked problem,” which is a deep, structural, and pervasive issue. Priority was placed on the development of empathy among the team members to build cohesion and trust and develop deeper understanding of the complexity within the student experience in the first year of university. The results of the process were improved team cohesion, stronger commitment to student success, and reorganization of the academic support unit.