Design Thinking in Education

Description

In today’s rapidly evolving educational landscape, educators are faced with the challenge of preparing students for a future that is uncertain and in constant change. Design Thinking enhances educators with a powerful problem-solving framework to address complex issues and create innovative solutions within the realm of teaching and learning.
Design thinking is a holistic approach that integrates empathy, creativity, and rationality to handle problems and generate solutions. This course will guide participants through the key principles and stages of the design thinking process, demonstrating how it can be effectively applied in educational settings. Participants will also prepare a personal mini research project on a personal educational puzzle, following the SPRE stages to be presented at the on-site dissemination activity.

Objectives

Introduction to Design Thinking: Explore the foundational principles and mindset of design thinking, emphasizing empathy, ideation, prototyping, and testing.
Empathy in Education: Understand the importance of empathy in the context of education and learn how to apply empathetic techniques to better understand each other and the world surrounding us.
Defining the Problem: Develop skills and reframing challenges in education, identifying root causes, and formulating problem statements that lead to meaningful solutions.
Ideation and Creativity: Foster creative thinking and idea generation techniques to address educational challenges, encouraging participants to think beyond conventional solutions.
Prototyping and Testing: Learn how to quickly develop and test prototypes to gather feedback and refine solutions, reducing the risk of implementing ineffective educational interventions.
Collaboration and Teamwork: Emphasize the importance of collaborative approaches in education, encouraging participants to work in interdisciplinary teams to address complex problems.
Implementation Strategies: Explore methods for integrating design thinking into educational practices, curricula, and institutional processes.
Reflection and Continuous Improvement: Foster a culture of reflection and continuous improvement, where educators assess the impact of their innovations and iterate on solutions based on feedback.

Learning outcomes

Assessment in this course will be based on active participation in design challenges, individual and group projects, reflective assignments, and a final project that applies design thinking principles to a real-world educational problem.

Upon completion of the “Design Thinking in Education” course, participants will be able to

Demonstrate Proficiency in Design Thinking Principles: Apply the key principles and mindset of design thinking to address complex challenges in the field of education.
Utilize Empathy for Educational Innovation: Integrate empathetic techniques to gain a deeper understanding of the needs and perspectives of students, teachers, and other stakeholders in educational settings.
Define and Reframe Educational Challenges: Develop skills in accurately defining and reframing educational challenges, identifying root causes, and formulating clear problem statements.
Foster Creative Ideation for Educational Solutions: Foster creative thinking and generate innovative ideas to address educational challenges, encouraging thinking beyond conventional solutions.
Implement Prototyping and Testing Strategies: Create and test low-fidelity prototypes to iteratively refine solutions, reducing the risk of implementing ineffective educational interventions.
Collaborate Effectively in Educational Contexts: Work collaboratively in interdisciplinary teams to address complex problems in education, recognising the importance of diverse perspectives.
Integrate Design Thinking into Educational Practices: Explore methods for integrating design thinking into teaching practices, curriculum development, and institutional processes.
Reflecting on their work: Establish a culture of reflection and continuous improvement, evaluating the impact of educational innovations and iterating on solutions based on feedback.
Communicate Processes and Solutions: Effectively communicate design thinking processes, insights, and solutions to the education community.
Apply Design Thinking to Real-world Educational Problems: Demonstrate the application of design thinking principles to real-world educational problems, showcasing the ability to create meaningful and effective solutions.
Present a personal mini research project following the SPRE stages to be at the on-site dissemination activity, gaining evaluation and further ideas to personal puzzles. Hear the peers’ evaluation, and also their presentations, and reflect on them.

By achieving these learning outcomes, participants will not only possess a solid understanding of design thinking principles but will also be equipped with practical skills to drive innovation and positive change within the dynamic landscape of education.

Target Audience

This course is designed for educators, and anyone involved in the field of education who is interested in fostering innovation and creative problem-solving in their professional practice.
By the end of this course, participants will not only have a solid understanding of design thinking but will also be equipped with practical tools and strategies to apply this approach to create a positive change in the field of education.

Language level:	English B1 and above*
Locations:	Budapest (Hungary), Pula (Croatia)
Time:	9 AM to 2:30 PM daily (extracurricular activities outside of learning activities)
Dates:	Budapest 29 March – 2 April, 19-23 April, 10-14 May (5 days, 25 lessons, runs over the weekend) Pula 29 July – 3 August, 2024 (6 days, 30 lessons)
Price:	€430 (5 days), €510 (6 days) including extracurricular cultural activities and welcome dinner

*The language of the course is English, linguistic aid may be provided for speakers of Hungarian with lower language abilities

The course complies with all rules as set in the Quality Standards of the Erasmus+ program. Extracurricular activities are in addition to the lessons, and study groups are international. Note: should the latter condition not be met, participants will be informed 40 days in advance.

Payment facilities: participants with funding from the actual year’s project budget may ask to request a deposit of EUR 100 to guarantee their places on the course and pay the rest of the fees later.

It is possible to take part in 2 consecutive courses, please book both separately. A price reduction of 15% will be applied.