Bridging research-driven systems thinking with academic design experience to serve the public interest.
- Professor
- Roya Ensafi
- Credits
- 4 — a Major Design Experience (MDE) / Capstone for CS & DS majors
- Term
- Fall 2026
- Lectures
- Mondays & Wednesdays, 1:30–3:30 PM
- Location
- BBB 4809
- Office Hours
- Wednesdays, 4:30 - 5:00 PM
- Prerequisite
- One of: EECS 388, EECS 489, EECS 482, EECS 485 — or graduate standing
- Course Email
- Systems4GreaterGood@umich.edu
- Class Canvas Link
- Canvas
- Course Calendar
- Google Calendar
Course Description
Systems for Greater Good is a new Major Design Experience (MDE) course in which students design and implement real-world systems that serve the public interest. Projects are chosen from topics such as:
- Building accountability and auditing systems
- Advancing democracy-affirming technologies
- Investigating systems that enable surveillance and censorship
- Improving resilience and access to critical digital infrastructure
The course features panels and guest lectures from leading systems researchers—including, at times, anonymous activists—who share their experiences building and deploying systems under realistic technical, political, and adversarial constraints.
Students work in teams to develop deployable prototypes under realistic technical and adversarial constraints. The course emphasizes system architecture, threat modeling, scalability, ethical risk assessment, and stakeholder engagement. Projects conclude with a public presentation.
Course Format
We will have a combination of:
- Technical lectures and case studies with detailed design reviews
- Engagement sessions with external partners including industry, nonprofit, and civil-society organizations
- Team-based development sessions with iterative feedback cycles
- Student presentations and demos
Project Scope
Teams of 3–4 students will tackle a public-interest systems challenge over the full semester. Projects may be proposed by students, assigned by the instructor, or brought in by external partners. See the Project & Deliverables page for the full scope requirements and deliverable details.
Evaluation and Grading
| Component | Weight | Due |
|---|---|---|
| Attendance | 10% | Ongoing |
| Class Participation | 10% | Ongoing |
| Reflection Quizzes | 10% | Ongoing |
| Proposal Write-up | 15% | Mon. Oct. 12, noon |
| Proposal Presentation | 15% | In class, Wed. Oct. 14 |
| Final Project Presentation | 10% | In class, Mon. Dec. 7 |
| Final Project Write-up | 30% | Sun. Dec. 6, 11:59 PM |
Class performance accounts for 30% of the grade, split evenly between attendance, participation in class, and reflection quizzes, and is assessed across all sessions including labs, design reviews, and guest sessions. See the Project & Deliverables page for what each written and presented deliverable must contain.
Academic Integrity & Course Policies
Collaboration
This is a team course. Within your team, open collaboration is expected and encouraged. Across teams, you may discuss ideas and approaches freely—but all written work, code, and designs must be your team's own. Use of AI coding assistants is encouraged and permitted with disclosure; undisclosed AI-generated submissions are a violation of course policy.
Anonymity and Sensitive Information
Some guest speakers will share sensitive operational information under conditions of anonymity. Recording of any kind during guest sessions requires explicit prior consent. Information shared in confidence must not be shared outside the course without permission.
Accessibility
Students requiring accommodations should contact the Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) office and share documentation with the instructor within the first two weeks of class. We are committed to making this course fully accessible.