IDeATE

The mission of The String Theory School of Design (our new, state-approved degree granting institution) is to generate creative endeavors through design, technology, and entrepreneurship. Students engage in active study in leading edge creative fields, design thinking processes, and deliberate practice of domain-specific techniques. Marketable skills, developed in an environment that prioritizes outrageous, high-touch support for learners, enable the authentic application of creative skills and the communication of creative ideas through storytelling.

1. What is IDeATE? 
IDeATE stands for Innovation, Design, Arts, Technology, and Entrepreneurship. The IDeATE program consists of college credit coursework during 11th and 12th grade leading to an associate degree, and is a cohesive sequence of courses developed by The String Theory School of Design.

IDeATE trains students in “Design Thinking”, a method of solving problems by focusing on the people you are creating for, challenging assumptions, and rethinking problems to find innovative solutions. The curriculum includes engaging, high level courses from Human Anatomy & Physiology to Micro Economics. IDeATE is for everyone, not just for those in the arts or design.

2. When will the IDeATE program become available to students?
The IDeATE program will begin in the 2024-2025 school year (August 2024).  

3. Is there a cost to students currently enrolled at Philadelphia Performing Arts?
The IDeATE program is free for students currently enrolled at Philadelphia Performing Arts.

4. Is there an admissions process?
Yes. Students must apply and be accepted into the IDeATE program. Please see the "How to Apply" section above for admissions details.

5. Who can apply to IDeATE?
Current 10th grade students are eligible to apply if they meet the following criteria:  Completion of required content credits (including successful completion of Keystone Algebra and Biology examinations).

6. How many credits will my student take to complete the program?
The IDeATE Program has a total of 96 quarter credit hours of coursework. This is equivalent to 64 credits for schools based on a semester hour system.

7. Can my student remain in their current major while a part of the IDeATE program? How does this affect my high school courses and graduation?
If accepted, students move out of their major and into the IDeATE program. Enrollment in the IDeATE program fulfills all high school graduation requirements for 11th and 12th grade, including the Major requirement. 

8. What high school and college courses are offered?
IDeATE is a self contained program. This means that students go through the program as a cohort beginning in 11th grade and take a sequence of courses until they graduate in 12th grade. All high school and college course requirements are met during the same school day as their peers who are not in the IDeATE program. 

9. What if my student does not want to participate in the IDeATE program or is not accepted?
Students who choose not to participate in IDeATE or are not accepted into the program will either continue in their major or choose another pathway aligned to their interests, and continue their regular high school academic courses. It is important to note that some major tracks in STEM and Design will change, and we have developed alternative pathways for those majors.
 

Students must apply and be accepted into the IDeATE program. 10th grade Philadelphia Performing Arts students must go through an admissions process facilitated by the college counseling office. There are two major components to this process:

Step 1: Determine Student Eligibility for IDeATE
The first step in the process is to determine if a student is eligible to apply for IDeATE. To do this, a student must compete the eligibility application and allow for the review of their high school records and earned credits. 

Step 2: Apply for IDeATE
Eligible students will be given the IDeATE admissions application to complete. Eligible students must also take the Accuplacer examination to determine readiness for college level learning.

In addition to the application and completion of the Accuplacer, students identified as eligible will be invited to submit an optional personal statement and portfolio artifacts to give context to the admissions application.

2024-2025 IDeATE Program Calendar

Sample IDeATE schedules for grades 11th (Year 1) and 12th (Year 2). 
Click the images to view a larger version.

 

 

Design

Des 120.I1

Design Thinking (2 quarter credits)
Design thinking is an approach to finding and engaging complex challenges, often called ‘wicked problems’, with spatial thinking and through empathetic practices. Wicked problems are questions that have no clear answer yet require a response. Design thinking mindsets are robust practices in both creative and business domains to address wicked problems. A foundational course to the IDeATE program, this course will introduce design thinking strategies and tactics through a survey of case study examples and practical applications.

 

Des 120.I2

Materials & Tools (2 quarter credits)

The intertwined history of materials and tools can be traced through every epoch’s cultural artifacts. This course will follow the trajectory of human making and productive practices as western civilization evolved from local, craft-based societies toward global centers of industrial production. Each student will develop a personal understanding and define a “making” philosophy to acknowledge that tools are not neutral. This identity will evolve through the program and will ground student practices. Texts include The Craftsman by R. Sennett, Shop Class as Soul Craft by M. Crawford, and Why We Make Things and Why it Matters by R. Korn.

 

Des 120.I3

Shops & Studios: Design Practices (2 quarter credits)

How do design practitioners work? Where do they work? What does this look like? Students in this course visit local design practices to observe and investigate professional design disciplines, including architecture, graphic design, fashion, and industrial/product design. Using a case study format, these are direct encounters with professionals to inform student understandings of career opportunities. Through these first person encounters students will formulate personal frameworks of similarities and differences to envision their own design practices.

 

Des 130.DeA3

Visualization I (3 quarter credits)
Visual communication is a practice of seeing through drawing. This course introduces visual representation and its thematic possibilities through both an analysis of antecedents and the production of new works. These complementary studies serve to establish conceptual understanding of representation issues and to develop technical drawing abilities that facilitate designer visualization. Coursework inquiry explores the implications of these representational practices including the course’s fundamental question: what are the relationships between the projector, the projected, and the projection?

 

Des 145.DeA1*

Introduction to Art & Design (4.5 quarter credits)*

Design practices communicate through practices of drawing and modeling. A vast array of methods and techniques, from sketching to 3d printing, rely upon looking, seeing, spatial acuity, and spatial thinking. Acquiring these skills emerges through practice. This course begins that practice. Students will build upon innate spatial and design literacies in order to access more sophisticated competencies in visual communication. These competencies range from quick sketches to intricate renderings.

 

Des 230.DeA4

Visualization II (3 quarter credits)

This course continues the inquiry into visual representation, thematic possibilities, the analysis of antecedents, and the production of new works. Advanced drawing projection techniques, systems and methods complement explorations in visual narrative and storytelling. Deep investigations into digital mediums examine their potentials, capacities, applications, limitations, and repercussions. At the center of the questions remains the course’s fundamental question: what is the relationship between the projector, the projected, and the projection? 

 

Des 260.DeA/T5

Design Studio: Student Choice of Focus (6 quarter credits)

This course is a precursor to the Capstone Studio. Students select a design studio focus grounded in the professional practices of a respective discipline and advised by a faculty team experienced in the discipline. Students are challenged to acquire the basic working methodologies, terminologies, and communication methods (incorporating representation and fabrication) while considering ethical and cultural implications. Options vary and may include: Architecture, Built Environment, Culinary Arts, Fashion, Graphic Design, Industrial / Product, Merchandising, Photo / Video, Textiles, and Web Design.

 

Des 260.DeA/T6

Capstone Studio: Student Choice of Focus (6 quarter credits)

The capstone studio is the culminating course in the Design/Art applied practices sequence. Students demonstrate mastery of program content through a complex design problem: a problem finding definition, development of contextual influences, a design response relative to these influences, and a reflection on the implications of this proposition. Each student secures an independent advisor and individually develops their project with this advisor. Options vary and may include: Architecture, Built Environment, Culinary Arts, Fashion, Graphic Design, Industrial / Product, Merchandising, Photo / Video, Textiles, and Web Design.

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Entrepreneurship

Ent 130.E1

Startup School (3 quarter credits)

This course explores the necessary steps to develop, validate, and scale a unique product, service, or initiative. It begins with ideation, pitching an idea, and prioritizing time, then proceeds into setting pathway goals and providing deliverables. Students will experience the process of realizing a novel idea and/or approaches to defining and solving a societal or market need.

 

Ent 130.E2

Fundamentals of New Ventures (3 quarter credits)

This course explores the fundamentals of startup culture and essential practices that make up the entrepreneurial mindset. This includes, but is not limited to, concepts of fast failure, risk taking, flexibility, creative problem solving, the innovation ecosystem and ideation. Major frameworks include understanding what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur and how to improve soft skills applicable to startup culture and effective innovation. 

 

Ent 145.E3*

Contemporary Social Problems / Social Entrepreneurship (4.5 quarter credits)*

What are contemporary cultures’ challenges? How might empathy better ground innovations to address those challenges? Students explore, examine, and analyze case studies of complex contemporary social problems as a basis for creating and sustaining new ventures with social value. Students conduct original research, build a deep context for a specific social topic of interest, and implement that knowledge to develop a solution plan for effective deployment.

 

Ent 220.E5

Brand Strategy (2 quarter credits)

You have a product, how do you build the brand? This course examines each phase of a brand making strategy, including marketing campaigns, brand identity, and brand pitches to both investors and consumers. Students will develop a hypothetical brand, from idea to marketing campaign, with routine critiques from field practitioners.

 

Ent 220.E6

Fail Forward (2 quarter credits)

Most venture backed start-ups fail. Creating a safe environment to fail fast, early, and often, then repeat is a key practice for an agile methodology of entrepreneurship. Fail Forward is a writing intensive course. Students examine case studies of business failures to analyze statistics of failure and determine missed opportunities for success. This course encourages students to “fail fast”, learn quickly, identify overlooked risks, determine the next effort, mitigate conflicts, and pivot to try again.

 

Ent 230.E4

Entrepreneurial Teams (3 quarter credits)

Organizations are multi-faceted. One of the biggest reasons why startups fail is due to ineffective communication within a team or, simply, the wrong team. Teams are composed of individuals fulfilling different roles in close collaboration. To be successful, business leaders must create strong teams and understand their role within that team composition. In this course, students learn personal strengths, weaknesses, and preferences as they participate on a sequence of team projects with rotating team compositions.

 

Bus 230.I6 (3 quarter credits)

Business Building

What are the dos and don’ts of starting new ventures? This course proceeds from product ideation, to pitch formation, to business planning, to funding acquisition, to business launching and into business management. The objective of this course is to provide students with all of the basic knowledge each will need to launch a new venture. 

 

Bus 245.I4*

Business Ethics (4.5 quarter credits)*

Organizations have learned that the costs of unethical actions can be high. Consequences include legal ramifications, adverse brand images and tarnished corporate reputations. This course addresses business ethics through frameworks of moral dilemma in the context of business practice. Eminent philosophers and notable leaders of business start-ups are studied to establish foundations of grounded ethics while students examine how organizations can establish and build ethical cultures.

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Technology

Tech 130.T1

Tech Stack - Introduction to Technologies and Applications (3 quarter credits)

Introduction to Technologies and Applications will introduce students to the most essential and useful technologies and applications on the market. Its content spans from web technologies such as the Adobe Creative Cloud to applications supporting design production such as the Autodesk suite. The course prepares and equips students with critical knowledge of current market offerings, their applications, and how to implement appropriate technologies in the students’ problem solving pursuits.

 

Tech 130.T2

Fabrication I / Analog (3 quarter credits)
Fabrication has two parts: experimental research and applied research. This course, the first of two in fabrication, specifically works through analog methods. A series of inquiries explore latent material properties, potential transformations and their capacity to lead – or mislead – our material understanding. Building on this research, artifacts are then made toward specific thematic and functional purposes. The artifacts investigate the technical, aesthetic and situational performances of materials, their combined purposes, and their cumulative effects. Three themes guide the research and its subsequent application: finish, form and fit.

 

Tech 130.T3

Fabrication II / Hybrid (3 quarter credits)
Fabrication has two parts: experimental research and applied research. This course, the second of two in fabrication, builds upon analog understandings to investigate digital and hybrid methods of making. Specific inquiries explore relationships between material and tools; prototyping; the benefits and limitations of analog, digital, and hybrid methods of production; material sciences; and material behaviors. Through these inquiries artifacts are made toward specific thematic and functional purposes which investigate technical, aesthetic and situational performances of materials, their combined purposes, and their cumulative effects.

 

Tech 220.T4

Social Media Studio - (2 quarter credits)

How do the world’s most innovative companies use social media to engage with customers, brand their business, and network with others. Designing and prototyping customer experiences for mobile devices will help ensure that user experiences are seamless on any device. Students will leverage content from Jason McDonald’s Social Media Marketing Workbook 2021 to develop omnichannel journeys ranging from brick and mortar to mobile device experiences.

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Core

Eng 145.C1*

Illuminate: English Composition and Visual Storytelling (4.5 quarter credits)*

Students will analyze, synthesize, evaluate, summarize, paraphrase, and cite written, spoken, and visual texts created by thought leaders in innovative design fields. They will leverage this systematic study to write effective expository prose and argumentation which stresses development and support of a clear thesis. This course helps students synthesize what they hear, read, and see, and gives them the tools to effectively communicate their resonance with and responses to the expertise and ideas they encounter. This prepares them for future academic and professional written communication. This course uses Nancy Duarte’s book Illuminate as an anchor text on visual storytelling. The book’s premise connects writing to design and creativity. It helps writers create a strong connection with audiences and leads to purposeful action.

 

Eng 245.I4*

Resonate: Public Speaking and Storytelling (4.5 quarter credits)*

Speaking with clarity, confidence, and precision is an essential skill to advance innovative ideas. This course helps students build confidence in preparing and delivering informative and persuasive speeches in service of compelling audiences and illuminating ideas. Topics include selection of content, audience analysis, research, organization, and use of voice and body in speech delivery. This course uses Nancy Duarte’s and Patti Sanchez’s book Resonate as an anchor text. The book helps students use the power of effective communication to lead people through the five stages of transformation using speeches, stories, ceremonies, and symbols.

 

Math 145.DeA2*

Quantification for Design through Foundations of Mathematics (4.5 quarter credits)*

Design practices apply geometric and algebraic concepts and processes in order to accurately quantify physical properties around a given design problem. Measurement, survey, scaled representation, and the interrelationships of various drawing projection systems serve as frameworks for the application of these foundations in mathematics. Key applications of this work to the Design, Technology and Entrepreneurship context include analysis, measurement, descriptive geometry, coding, and drafting. (Foundations of Mathematics: Applied Geometry / Algebra)

 

Math 245.C4*

Elementary Statistics for Entrepreneurship (4.5 quarter credits)*

Understanding the application of data is an essential tool to the success of creative ventures.This course in elementary statistics builds that skill set by having students experiment with such topics as: descriptive measures for empirical data, theory of probability, probability distributions, sampling distributions of statistics from large and small samples, estimation theory, hypothesis testing, correlation, and regression. Students then explicitly connect this knowledge and practice to both case studies in design and entrepreneurship, and to their own design project work.

 

Math 245.C5*

MicroEconomics (4.5 quarter credits)*

Focusing on the impact of economics on Design, Technology, and Entrepreneurship initiatives, students study basic economic principles with particular emphasis upon microeconomic theory and problems. Among topics considered are the economics of the design shop and/or technology start up firm, the price system, resource allocation, the distribution of income, domestic economic problems, international trade, economic development, and comparative economic systems. Specific projects will emphasize the role of innovation in the microeconomic landscape.

 

Sci 145.C2*

Physics (4.5 quarter credits)*

Design leverages the unique physical properties of matter to fashion our world. This laboratory course provides a non-calculus study of the fundamental laws and properties of matter, mechanics, heat, and sound. This course places emphasis on how we measure and manipulate matter in order to leverage mathematical solutions to design problems based on an understanding of the underlying physical phenomena.

 

Sci 145.C3*

Human Anatomy & Physiology - Design for the Human Form (4.5 quarter credits)*

An essential key to understanding design for human use is founded in critical knowledge of the human body. This informs designers to achieve success in everything from designing ergonomic products to successfully engaging the senses.This course takes a visual reasoning approach to the study of the human body and the basic structure of cells, tissues, and organs. Topics include the structure and function of the integumentary, muscular, nervous, and skeletal systems, and this knowledge is built systematically through modeling and visual representation.

Click below to view a sample syllabus:

STSoD: IDeATE English Composition (Illuminate)

STSoD: IDeATE Design Thinking

Learn more about this unique student entrepreneur group HERE. 

Design Thinking is a five-step process for coming up with creative solutions to problems:

1. Empathize - Put yourself in someone else's shoes to really understand what they need.

2. Define - Figure out exactly what the problem is.

3. Ideate - Think of a lot of ideas, brainstorm. 

4. Prototype - Make a quick version of your solution.

5. Test - Try out your solution to see if it works.

Design Thinking is about being creative, thinking about the people you're designing for, and being ready to change your plan to make it better.

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Design Thinking in the Workforce

Design Thinking's principles are versatile and can be applied across various fields and professions beyond traditional design. Here is how it can be adapted to different areas:

Business and Entrepreneurship - To develop innovative products, services, or processes that differentiate a company from its competitors, or to redefine customer experiences to create value.

Education - For curriculum development to foster a more engaging, practical, and student-centered learning environment, or to solve administrative and operational challenges within educational institutions.

Healthcare - To improve patient experiences, design better healthcare delivery systems, or develop new medical devices that are more in tune with the needs of patients and healthcare providers.

Public Services and Policy Making - For designing policies and services that better meet the needs of citizens by involving them in the design process, leading to more effective and user-friendly public services.

Technology and IT - In software and hardware development, to create more intuitive and user-friendly interfaces and experiences, or to solve complex technical problems through creative brainstorming and iterative prototyping.

Social Impact and NGO - To tackle complex social issues by understanding the communities involved, prototyping potential solutions, and iterating based on feedback to ensure initiatives are effective and sustainable.

Human Resources - To improve employee experiences, design better onboarding processes, or foster a more inclusive and innovative corporate culture.

The collaborative, user-centric approach of Design Thinking encourages multidisciplinary teams to leverage their diverse perspectives and skills to innovate and solve complex problems, making it a valuable strategy across numerous professions.