SCD Welcomes New Instructor to Adjunct Team

SCD is excited to announce the newest member of its adjunct instructing team, Noelyn Stephens! 

Graduating from the University of Chicago with an undergraduate degree in Philosophy and Political Science and a Master's degree in Cognitive and Decision Sciences from University College London, Stephens came to the University of Illinois to pursue a second MFA in Design for Responsible Innovation, which she recently completed this summer.

Stephens worked as a front-end web developer for over five years before making the switch to design research and strategy. She then joined SCD as the director of the Community Engagement Studio in June 2025. The Community Engagement Studio was developed from Chancellor Jones's 2020 Campus Community Compact initiative, which directed university resources toward Champaign County and the structural inequality within it. The Studio’s work brings human-centered design principles into how the Compact designs its services.

It is this unique synthesis of real-world community engagement and human-centered design that Stephens brings to her new course. By applying the same methodologies she uses in the studio, she aims to show students how data can be a powerful tool for empathy and system-wide change.

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“I believe students learn best by applying ideas. That is why I try to create a classroom where students can experiment, ask questions, work through ambiguity, and connect new concepts to problems in the real world,” Stephens said. 

Stephens will be teaching DTX 495 | Designing with Data this Fall as a POT-B, 2-credit-hour course. 

DTX 495 is a rotating series of special topics classes in design thinking that evolve each semester. These courses invite students to take a deeper dive into the essential principles and mindsets of Design Thinking, providing a venue to explore how these frameworks can be applied to diverse and specific fields. Adjunct instructors like Stephens curate these courses around emerging areas of knowledge, specifically designed to augment the existing curriculum with timely, industry-relevant expertise.

Designing with Data is a practical, project-based laboratory. Students in this course will not just memorize statistical formulas; they will engage in a curriculum that prioritizes critical thinking, experimentation, and the navigation of ambiguity. The course will include some statistical analysis, but without requiring any programming or advanced statistical modeling. Through a combination of interactive lectures, structured discussions, and hands-on activities, students will learn to treat data as a design material, walking away with the ability to ask the right questions, recognize the inherent limitations in datasets, and make informed, ethical recommendations.

The structure of the course is designed to mirror real-world design environments. The work is organized into three major projects, each building on the previous one, which allows students to synthesize their learning and tackle a complex problem from start to finish. 

The first project will be individual, and the second and third are in groups. The projects will focus on understanding what the data is saying, recognizing what's missing, avoiding unsupported conclusions, and determining what additional research would support better design decisions. Ample class time will be set aside for groups to work together. This approach ensures that students are building a portfolio-ready body of work that demonstrates their ability to bridge the gap between statistics and human experience. 

Interested in Designing with Data? Check out the course in Course Explorer before the POT B priority deadline, Oct. 23rd!