Course Syllabus
Design Thinking
|
| Semester & Location: |
Fall 2024 - DIS Stockholm |
| Type & Credits: |
Elective Course - 3 credits |
| Major Disciplines: |
Design, Engineering, Entrepreneurship |
| Faculty Members: |
Jonathan Geib, PhD (current students please use the Canvas Inbox to contact) |
| Program Director: |
Natalia Landázuri Sáenz, PhD |
| Program Contact: | |
| Time & Place: |
Tuesday, 11:40–14:35, Classroom: 1D-410 |
The Session Index page serves as a homepage with practical info, links to each session page, and supplementary material.
Course Description
This interactive course—open to all students—focuses on the process of design, using methods of design thinking and co-creation: user-centered mindsets and action-oriented toolkits to help critically reframe challenges and innovate collaboratively. No design experience is required. We select our project focus in dialogue with the 14 Grand Challenges for Engineering in the 21st Century, including enhancing virtual reality, advancing personalized learning, and making solar energy economical. Working in interdisciplinary groups, you develop ideas in co-creation with peers, stakeholders, professionals, and end users, utilizing tools and techniques to better understand and synthesize insights; generate, visualize, and prototype ideas; and iterate collaborative designs.
Our course utilizes design thinking—applying methodologies of design to challenges in society—which makes it central to innovation and creativity. In the words of David Kelley, founder and chairperson of the design and consulting firm IDEO, design thinking involves "…the ability to combine empathy for the context of a problem, creativity in the generation of insights and solutions and rationality to analyze and fit solutions to the context." In our lab, we'll combine elements of analysis, social science approaches, creativity, complex problem-solving, engineering, and some 'business thinking' as we tackle today's Grand Challenges.
Together we'll:
-Participate in and lead innovation in a collaborative setting in interdisciplinary teams
-Gain proficiency in creative thinking and problem-solving
-Learn techniques to understand users’ motivations and to gather deep insights
-Learn from failure: innovation entails risk-taking and trying new things
-Communicate through engaging storytelling and prototyping
-Incorporate design thinking into our everyday professional activities
Learning Objectives
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
-Capably use methods and practices of design thinking, creativity, and problem-based learning
-Collaborate effectively within interdisciplinary teams to contribute to the generation of creative, innovative ideas aiming to help solve current global challenges
-Think critically about the role of design thinking in society, particularly in addressing major world challenges
-Effectively communicate, in lay and advanced terms, within interdisciplinary teams
-Effectively explain advanced concepts to non-experts within a particular field
-Search and synthesize relevant and reliable literature and information from various sources
-Utilize prototyping concepts and tools
-Communicate effectively in writing and verbally to clearly explain and support ideas and arguments
-Reflect upon opportunities and challenges of working within interdisciplinary teams
-Reflect upon major challenges the world is facing today
-Reflect upon the importance and need of incorporating scientific, engineering, humanistic, cultural, economic, and political approaches to address major world challenges
Faculty
Jonathan Geib, PhD
PhD (Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, 2020) on complexities of engagement with urban participatory processes involving public sector institutions and art and design practitioners. MSc (KU Leuven, 2013) in Urbanism and Strategic Planning. MSc (KU Leuven, 2010) in Human Settlements. BSc (University of Texas at Austin, 2002) in Architecture. Currently a Research Fellow at the International Youth Think Tank (Gothenburg, 2020–present) and teaching the DIS courses Design Thinking and Smart & Sustainable Cities. Motivated by pluralistic approaches to research and design practice, criticality, and creativity. With DIS since 2021.
Readings
Kelley, T. and Kelley, D. (2014). Creative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All. London: William Collins. (excerpts)
Cross, N. (2011). Design Thinking: Understanding How Designers Think and Work. Oxford: Berg Publishers. (excerpts)
Mulgan, G. (2022). Another World Is Possible: How to Reignite Social and Political Imagination. London: Hurst & Company. (excerpts)
Readings/material will be assigned in connection with each respective class.
Field Studies
The course integrates two field studies where students prototype creative methods for exploring and empathizing in the city, and meet with actors engaged with addressing major world challenges.
Guest Lecturers
Guest lecturers may be invited to talk about specific global challenges and current efforts and approaches to addressing them, and to provide feedback to students.
Approach to Teaching
A major teaching/learning component of this course relies on problem-based learning (PBL), where students work within interdisciplinary teams. Students are tasked with proposing innovative solutions to help address specific challenges that are of major concern in today's world. In order to accomplish this task, students are required to search for reliable information pertinent to the challenge, communicate within the groups, and develop ideas towards solutions that incorporate scientific, engineering, humanistic, cultural, economic, and political approaches. In addition, students are tasked to prototype their ideas and assess their feasibility in conversation with users and other stakeholders. During PBL, faculty act as facilitators to guide the groups and help them develop necessary skills to succeed in their quest. In addition, this course includes lectures, discussions and course-related field studies. These learning activities provide a framework to facilitate PBL. During field studies, students have the opportunity to interact with stakeholders and ask relevant questions.
Names and Pronouns: Students should be referred to by the name and gender pronouns they prefer by the teacher of this course and by other students. We will introduce ourselves to each other with the names and pronouns we prefer when we meet the first day of class.
Disability Access: If you need accommodations related to disability, please let me know as soon as possible so that your learning needs can be appropriately met.
Expectations of the Students
Central to developing design thinking skills is expanding one’s capacity for creativity. This requires learning to navigate, handle, and synthesize a high degree of uncertainty, provisionality, and failure. At the same time, major world challenges are at once highly complex and elusive in practice, subject to perspective, and cut deep historically. Students, therefore, need to be prepared to actively discuss, reflect, and question their own and others’ perspectives in an open, respectful, and empathetic manner and in a spirit of shared inquiry—creative, critical, and constructive. Students should seek to develop their discussion and dialogue skills throughout the course:
- Developing listening skills
- Exploring and testing new ideas and ways of thinking and being open to and respectful of those of others
- Promoting an environment where everyone feels free to express and develop their thoughts, ideas, and experiences
- Sharing and developing your own and others’ thoughts, ideas, and experiences to contribute to the learning environment
There will be about three hours of class time each week and you are expected to work a minimum of six hours per week outside of class (including time spent on assignments, in group work, and on field studies).
- You should actively participate in all class activities. Remember to be on time!
- Readings must be done prior to the class session. A considerable part of the class depends on class discussions.
- Laptops, smartphones, and other electronic devices may be used in the classroom if relevant and not disturbing to the task at hand. Practice proper digital etiquette by silencing notifications, etc.
Evaluation
Active engagement (individual): Your attendance and active participation in class activities, including reading discussion activities and assignments shared and/or presented in class. Your active engagement grade will be reduced by 10 points (over 100) for every unexcused absence.
Reading Discussion Facilitation (individual): Two or more students each week (starting in the second week) will jointly lead the class in a reading discussion activity based on the assigned readings.
Reflection (individual): Written reflection on your experience of interdisciplinary team collaboration in relation to the development of your group project.
Project work (team*): Includes four components: 1) Collaboration – focus on the process of group work, including how the group worked together to develop a proposal while navigating and managing internal and external group dynamics – how it took initiative, adapted along the way, worked strategically, and how it integrated user- and stakeholder-engagement; 2) Content – quality, rigor, and level of articulation of the proposal; 3) Communication – aiming for clear and compelling communication, each group will present their proposal and respond to audience feedback, as well as create an interactive installation of their proposal as part of the DIS Festival; 4) Documentation – a written report documenting each group's proposal in written and visual form. *Note that individual grades on team projects may still be applied.
Grading
| Assignment |
Percent |
| Active engagement (individual) |
25% |
|
Reading Discussion Facilitation (individual) |
15% |
|
Reflection (individual) |
15% |
| Project work (team*) |
45% |
To be eligible for a passing grade in this class, all assigned work must be completed. You are expected to turn in all assignments by the due date. If an assignment is turned in after the due date, your assignment grade will be reduced by 10 points (over 100) for each day the submission is late.
Academic Regulations
Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on:
DIS - Study Abroad in Scandinavia - www.DISabroad.org
Course Summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
|---|---|---|