ExO Results Exchange

Building on the momentum of the ExO Launchpad  and Summer Institute, join us for the ExO Results Exchange, an interactive virtual gathering designed to reconnect our community and explore what’s unfolded since August.

In this one-hour virtual gathering, you’ll hear from AFIT community members at Glendale Community College, NorthWest Arkansas Community College, and Santa Fe Community College. They’re turning their Summer Institute work into real-world experiments, from listening first to design a homeschool academy to bringing design thinking college-wide. They’ll share what they tested, what worked (and what didn’t), and how their strategies and mindsets have shifted along the way.

Whether your team is still in customer discovery or already running its first pilot, this session will provide fresh insights, actionable ideas and real-world examples of how colleges are building exponential resilience.

Come curious, bring your questions, and help us build on our collective momentum. 

Presenting Teams

Glendale Community College

From Idea to Impact: Bringing Design Thinking College-Wide

What happens when design thinking moves beyond one team and becomes how a whole college works? Glendale Community College is finding out. This fall, GCC kicked off its Idea to Impact (i2I) philosophy at its college-wide data and planning day. The i2I team led employees through the design thinking framework from the AFIT Summer Institute to tackle real challenges creatively.

To ground that creativity in evidence, GCC launched a Gemini Data Notebook. It brings institutional data, student voice and planning context together in one place, so teams can explore problems, test assumptions and brainstorm solutions. Hear what GCC learned from the launch and how it’s building a foundation for innovation across campus.

Presenters: Aaron Fried, PhD, AT, Department Chair, Fitness and Wellness; Jake Ormond, PhD, Associate Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness

NorthWest Arkansas Community College

Listening First: Designing a Customer-Driven Homeschool Academy

Too often, colleges build the program first and look for the audience second. NorthWest Arkansas Community College (NWACC) flipped that. Before designing a single workshop, the team sat down with homeschool leaders in interviews and focus groups. Then they turned what they heard into a community survey to learn what homeschool families really want from their community college.

Early results are clear. Parent educators want practical, targeted workshops that set their students up for life after high school:

• a clear path from homeschool to college success
• confident help with FAFSA
• career exploration
• guidance on building transcripts that work at the postsecondary level
• hands-on time with the specialized equipment students will use in college

Hear how listening first is shaping this program, and what changes when the customer’s voice sets the direction.

Presenters: Dr. Tony Kinkel, Senior Vice President for Enterprise Relations; Chris LaFata, Ed.D., MBA, Dean of Business and Computer Information Systems

Santa Fe Community College

Presenters: Ondine Frauenglass, Director of the Innovation Center; Charlie Shultz, Academic Director of the Controlled Environment Agriculture Program.