The 2026-2027 cohort of the EL3vate Program has completed Phases 1 & 2 and is well on their way to transforming courses into experiential and entrepreneurial learning hubs for implementation in the classroom. As they move into their Phase 3 monthly Growth Sessions and implement these changes throughout the academic year, here is a high-level look at some of the course redesigns taking place in EL3vate:

Place-Based & Service Learning

Instead of examining community issues from a distance, instructors are rooting their curriculum directly in Hawaiʻi’s physical and cultural landscape. Students are stepping outside the classroom to engage in service learning, such as volunteering at local transitional housing villages to co-create real-world communication and public relations materials. Other courses are using native biomimicry metaphors, like the naupaka flower and the ʻōhiʻa lehua tree, to evaluate policies ethically and for frameworks of context and resilience.

Gamification & Active Quests 

To increase classroom engagement, instructors are replacing traditional lectures with gamified journeys and active play. Rather than turning in final term papers, students in these courses use generative tools to rapidly prototype functional educational apps and will pitch them in live “Shark Tank” style funding simulations. Other classrooms are challenging students to study organic structures to construct physical cardboard prototypes, which they then test live with University of Hawaiʻi Lab students.

Custom Tech & AI Integration

Instructors are actively teaching students how to use emerging technologies responsibly. Revisions include custom-built web applications that gamify complex coding milestones and allow peer-to-peer tracking for collaborative accountability. In other courses, instructors are deploying custom-programmed AI chatbots so students can practice professional client interviewing and negotiation skills, and another instructor is having students examine algorithmic and racial bias in AI models and to co-create a communal Notebook for mitigating individual biases and building a culturally safe space for political science and theory discourse. 

Process-Driven & Agile Redesigns

To emphasize progress over final products, faculty are moving away from “one-and-done” static assignments in favor of iterative, scaffolded milestones. Under this model, students are prompted to secure and consult with local businesses within the first three weeks of class, giving them a much wider window to execute actual advisory work. Other assignments are structured around continuous feedback loops, where students iteratively refine infographics, research proposals, or community digital guides based on direct feedback from peers and local stakeholders.

We look forward to hearing how the implementation of these redesigned course maps went at the EL3vate spring showcase! 

Note: This blog post was drafted with the assistance of AI tools and reviewed and edited by UHOIC .