How Was the New Student Program Designed?

Was the new Student Program developed within the confines of BSF Headquarters walls? No! Over the past year and a half, the Redesign Team has used the “human-centered design” thinking process to build a new curriculum.

Human-centered design creates resources shaped by human needs. The design process starts with the user in mind. It involves getting close to users and observing how they interact, relate, and learn before creating products to serve them. Following the human-centered design approach, the new Student Program curriculum was prayerfully developed to meet the needs of students and leaders more powerfully and effectively. The biggest changes that you will see in the School Program Redesign are changes that were made based on how younger generations build community, discover truth, and live out the truth they have internalized.

We have listened through discovery research and class visits, tested concepts through interviews and surveys, and iterated on numerous prototypes to establish the new curriculum model, class structure, and training. We conducted hundreds of learning loops – gathering insights to iterate, pivot, and refine our model. At every point in the design process, we revisited the previous stages to verify that needs and goals were being fulfilled based on learnings from leaders and class members in the field. Over the past 18 months, the team has engaged hundreds of leaders, students, parents, and experts from over 20 countries and more than 25 U.S. states.

As you prepare your heart and mind to experience this new program, take comfort and have confidence that it was thoughtfully designed with the support of leaders, class staff, educators, and experts around the world. As a result, we believe our BSF students will experience a richer, deeper, and more engaging encounter with the Lord as they walk through the passage, week by week, with you and their fellow students.