Course Details

“I have taken with me so many memories and skills that I could have never obtained in a school environment…I now have a better understanding of how much a design piece impacts the end users and how much thought and research must be taken into consideration without rushing into an end product.” – Vanessa

Course Framework

Week 1: Immersion. Students will learn about the local area and culture, experiencing both the built and natural environment of the local community and its surroundings. Students will visit the partnering organization and learn about its work with the local community. Students will spend time in the field learning about the community and meeting with local stakeholders. The class will hone in on the project scope and begin to identify potential opportunities and barriers.

Week 2: Co-Designing. Two to three student sub-groups will be formed; each group will be assigned to a project for the remainder of the course. They will work with the organization and the community it serves to better understand its mission, culture, markets, and impact. Students will document their observations and
conduct interviews with various members of the community organization. Students will use their gathered insights to brainstorm and prototype various design concepts with community stakeholders. Students will debrief each afternoon at the hostel and
continue to work within their groups to further develop design concepts in the evenings.

Week 3: Implementation. Based on their work co-designing with the organization, students will develop implementation plans at the beginning of Week 3. The rest of the week students will work in the field to implement their design projects. They will document this process thoroughly. This work will culminate into a presentation from each group to the partnering organization and community stakeholders, which will include a finished prototype(s) and various communication tools that will help to facilitate the ongoing development of the design proposal locally.

Course Itinerary

Below is a proposed itinerary of the three-week course. Some dates and info are subject to change.

Day & Date  Activities (subject to change)
Arrival, Sunday (May 12) 1pm to 4pm – Arrival at Pokhara International Airport, Travel to Hostel
6pm to 7pm – Dinner at Hostel
Day 1, Monday (May 13) 8am to 10am – Breakfast at Hostel
10am to 1pm – Orientation at Hostel
1pm to 2pm – Lunch at Hostel
3pm to 4:30pm – Visit local area
6pm to 7pm – Dinner at Hostel
7:30 pm to 8:30pm – Meeting with Sarah to discuss the itinerary and overview of the organization and community the students will be visiting
Day 2, Tuesday (May 14) 8am to 10am – Breakfast at Hostel
9am to 4pm – Visit local community
Lunch in community
4pm to 5:30pm – Debrief
6pm to 7pm – Dinner at Hostel
Day 3, Wednesday (May 15) 8am to 9am – Breakfast at Hostel
9am to 4pm – Visit local community
Lunch in community
4pm to 5:30pm – Debrief
6pm to 7pm – Dinner at Hostel
Day 4, Thursday (May 16) 8am to 9am – Breakfast at Hostel
9am to 4pm – Visit local community
Lunch in community
4pm to 5:30pm – Debrief
6pm to 7pm – Dinner at Hostel
Day 5, Friday (May 17) 8am to 9am – Breakfast at Hostel
9am to 12pm – Fieldtrip to local site
Lunch at Hostel
3pm to 5pm – Form project groups, organization assignment
6pm to 7pm – Dinner at Hostel
Project 1 due – submit to Sarah by end of day
Day 6, Saturday (May 18) WEEKEND – Local activity – TBA
Day 7, Sunday (May 19) WEEKEND – Free day
Day 8, Monday (May 20) 8am to 9am – Breakfast at Hostel
9am to 1pm – Group discussion, project brainstorming, and objective setting
1pm to 2pm – Lunch at Hostel
2pm to 4pm – Group discussion, project brainstorming, and objective setting
6pm to 7pm – Dinner at Hostel
Day 9, 10, 11, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday (May 21 – 23) 8am to 9am – Breakfast at Hostel
9am to 3pm – Groups working with organizations and communities
Lunch in community
4pm to 5:30pm – Debrief
6pm to 7pm – Dinner at Hostel
8pm to 9:30pm – Cultural Activity
Day 12, Friday (May 24) 8am to 9am – Breakfast at Hostel
9am to 1pm – Groups create implementation plan for project designs
1pm to 2pm – Lunch at Hostel
2pm to 4pm – Work in groups; ideating, prototyping and developing communication tools to share designs with community members
Project 2 due – present to Sarah and the class
6pm to 7pm – Dinner at Hostel
8pm to 11pm – Free time
Day 13, Saturday (May 25) WEEKEND – Local activity – TBA
Day 14, Sunday (May 26) WEEKEND – Free day
Day 15, Monday (May 27) 8am to 9am – Breakfast at Hostel
9am to 3pm – Groups share design prototypes & discuss implementation plan within communities
Lunch in community
4pm to 5:30pm – Debrief
6pm to 7pm – Dinner at Hostel
Day 16, 17, 18, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday (May 28 – 30) 8am to 9am – Breakfast at Hostel
9am to 3pm – Groups work with communities to implement their projects
Lunch in community
4pm to 5:30pm – Debrief
6pm to 7pm – Dinner at Hostel
Day 19 Friday (June 1) 8am to 9am – Breakfast at Hostel
9am to 3pm – Each group presents documented project and next steps to their communities.
Project 3 due – present to Sarah, class, and the community
 6pm to 7pm – Farewell Dinner at Hostel
 8pm to 11pm – Free time – packing, etc.
Departure, Saturday (June 1) Travel to Pokhara International Airport, Flights Back
Third Week of July Project 4 due Students will meet at OCAD U and/or online to present Project 4 (students still traveling or living outside of Toronto over the summer can connect virtually)


Course Costs

The 2024 course costs are below:

Program Fee – Accommodation, Food & Program Support                   $0-2595*
*Eligible students will pay $0 for the Program Fee. Funding
subsidy for domestic
undergraduate students is provided
through the
Global Skills Opportunity program. More details
are at
the bottom of this page.

Round Trip Flight Toronto/Pokhara – there are no direct flights          $810-2560*
Round Trip Flight Toronto/Kathmandu – approximately $2300
Round Trip Flight Kathmandu/Pokhara – approximately $260
*These are estimates – you will book your own flights and
meet the class in Pokhara. Eligible students will be provided
with a maximum of $1750 for their round-trip airfare.
 

30-day Tourist Visa                                                                                            $70*
This is the rate for Canadian citizens.

Weekend Trips (cultural activities, local hikes, etc.)                                      $95*
*This cost could change slightly based on 2024 rates set
by local tour guides.

Tuition for 1.0 Credit Course                                                                         $1345*
*These are estimated tuition fees for 1.0 credit for domestic
students not enrolled in the laptop program. Confirm your tuition rate at:
https://admissions.ocadu.ca/afford/tuition-fees

Total Estimated Costs with Funding Subsidy                                                 $975
Total Estimated Costs without Funding Subsidy                                          $5320

Total Estimated Costs including Tuition with Funding Subsidy                   $2320
Total Estimated Costs including Tuition without Funding Subsidy             $6665


Eligibility

Design Abroad 1.0 cr GDES-3079 is open to undergraduate students in the Faculty of Design, Faculty of Art and Faculty of Arts and Science who have completed 8.5 credits or more

Funding: OCAD U seeks to reduce barriers to participation and increase the engagement of underrepresented students in international learning opportunities.  Funding for domestic undergraduate students is provided through the Global Skills Opportunity (GSO) program. Target groups are defined through this program as follows:

Low-income students: either having 1) been approved for a Canada/Provincial Student Loan, Canada Student Grant or similar non-repayable student financial assistance in your province or territory for your current program of study OR 2) In the absence of receiving non-repayable student financial assistance, can provide information to demonstrate that they require financial support to cover the estimated costs/expenses of this course.

Indigenous students: First Nations, Métis, or Inuk (Inuit). This includes urban and unaffiliated Indigenous peoples.

Students with disabilities: For the purposes of this program, disability is defined as a difficulty or impairment due to a long-term condition or health problem and/or experiences a limitation in their daily activities. Students do not need to be registered with OCAD U’s Student Accessibility Services, rather they are only required to only self-identify.

This funding is to assist with flight and estimated costs for accommodation, meals and local travel are available to domestic undergraduate students who self-identify as one or more of these groups.  Along with your application you will be asked to self-identify in order for us to gauge student funding eligibility. Note, your responses will not affect the evaluation of your application to participate. To receive these funds, eligible participants must participate in pre-departure training and will be required to submit GSO forms and travel forms.

PLEASE NOTE: Students who have already received this funding are not eligible. Priority will be given to students who have not already received GSO or GEP (Global Experience Project) funding through previous opportunities


On-the-Ground Support

OCAD University is collaborating with Global Vision International (GVI) for the on-the-ground course support in Nepal. GVI is multi-award wining social enterprise that runs high impact volunteer and international education programs. For over 20 years, GVI has helped thousands of people make a real difference to the world they live in while also gaining the knowledge and skills necessary to live and work in a globally interdependent and culturally diverse world.