2023
This paper reports on a study currently conducted in the scope of an Erasmus+ KA2 project on the subject of co-creation in design education. A case study was carried out on a third-year bachelor design engineering course (“Co-creation”) at which 48 students from different study disciplines, levels and countries worked together in groups to tackle societal challenges. This research aims to gain insights into students’ experiences and problems with regard to taking part in a multidisciplinary co-creation process by scrutinising student’s self- and peer-assessment reports. Findings refer to the essentials and challenges of multidisciplinary co-creation processes from a student perspective. In particular, soft skills were highlighted as fundamental skills while working with peers. Moreover, challenges in collaboration, specifically, in a remote learning environment during the COVID-19 pandemic, were noted. Recommendations were provided for design educators to ameliorate the multidisciplinary co-creation and learning environment in order to sufficiently prepare students for Industry 4.0.
Keywords: multidisciplinary design education, co-creation, student experiences, peer assessments, COVID-19
Nowadays, open educational resources are an essential tool in Higher Education. This article presents a web platform created in the framework ofthe EuropeanprojectTCREPE called “planet”. The “planet” assists students and academics from different Universities and educational backgrounds to jointly understand and apply the design process (co- creation)through the Design Thinkingmethodology, using design tools and games. The contribution of the “planet”, in assisting the design process as well as the collaboration ofstudents with each other as well us with the academic staff in learning and teaching procedure are deliberated. Finally,suggestionsfor its further improvement are presented.
Co-creation is a process in which multiple stakeholders – who would be affected by the outcome of a design process – come together and share ideas to reach innovative solutions. Nowadays, co-creation is seen as the key to innovation. However, due to its complexity and unfamiliarity to non-designers, co-creation requires the support of a facilitator. A facilitator is the person who makes a process easier by utilizing generative tools and techniques to help people express themselves in a more efficient way
during a co-creation process. This paper reports on the facilitation of co-creation processes during three mobility exchange programmes carried out in the scope of an Erasmus+ KA2 project. The main aim of this project has been to co-develop with industry and academia an online learning platform
based on the Design Thinking methodology, game-based learning, and constructionism. The goal has been to guide and facilitate co-creation among stakeholders in various contexts and schemes. In the context of co-creation, the mobility of students and staff among four higher education institutions from Greece, Belgium and Finland (consortium partners), was envisioned as a way to exchange ideas and co-create value together. Three cycles of mobility have been completed among the institutions. This paper focuses on the role of the facilitator for achieving meaningful co-creation experiences during mobility, as well as, the tools that have been utilized. Furthermore, the feedback received through 4 interviews and an online questionnaire from students and staff members (n=10), who visited a partner institution for 1-2 weeks, is presented. Suggestions are provided for researchers who would like to take up the facilitator role to increase the efficiency of co-creation processes. For instance, it is advised to combine physical (e.g., analogue, low-tech prototyping tools) and digital facilitation tools (e.g., Miro boards), and prepare templates beforehand to facilitate collaborative idea generation. It is argued that the results of this study would shed light into more fruitful co-creation processes among people from different backgrounds, countries and disciplines.
Keywords: Co-creation, student and staff mobility programmes, facilitator role, Design Thinking,
2022
This work scrutinizes the PhD research conducted on the changing role of the designers and co-design education through the lens of sustainability. As
emphasized by various researchers, the designers’ role is no longer linked to
‘designing for’ but ‘designing with’ users [1, 2, 3]. This shift is caused mainly by the clear understanding of the fact that the active involvement of the users in design processes may lead to real innovation. However, it is seen that how to better facilitate the co-design sessions has not been integrated into the design education curricula [4]. Thus, this PhD research aims to develop a game-based toolkit (‘Co-design Facilitator’s Game’) that might inform, motivate and/or guide design students in the facilitation of the co-design sessions. In this poster, the topic itself and the tangible outcome of this PhD research, which is a phygital game-based toolkit, have been put under the microscope in relation to sustainability.
Recent technological advancements have a fundamental potential to transform 21st century textile engineering [1]. Thus, it is essential to further incorporate innovations in industry. In textile engineering education alike, innovative teaching methods, for instance, learning through virtual reality [2], learning by making [3], and game-based learning [4] are apt, and in fact, required methods to teach these subjects for Industry 4.0 in a more understandable and holistic way. Specifically, game-based learning is seen as beneficial in textile engineering education in the part of knowledge acquisition, student engagement and independent learning [4]. This paper presents a pilot study about how online textile games (‘ChoiCo’-Choices with Consequences) co-created with industry partners in the scope of an Erasmus+ KA2 project (T-CREPE), have been incorporated into a design engineering course in a university in Belgium. The purpose of this paper is to reflect on the impact of using digital games in textile engineering education and students’ gains from this approach. Ten (n = 10) textile engineering students participated in questionnaires providing quantitative and qualitative data about the games. Also, reflection reports written by students for each game provided personal insights. The results have shown that games can be useful in textile engineering education by improving students’ 21st century skills (e.g., critical thinking, problem solving, self-learning).
Keywords: game-based learning; online learning platform; game modding; textile engineering
education; 21st century skills
Game-based learning and game-design approaches have been utilized in teaching complex and diverse subjects such as programming, mathematics, and linguistics in order to enhance student involvement, enjoyment and commitment (Squire, 2003). In the design domain, unconventional and
creative techniques are also employed due to the design process’ non-linear, ill-structured and iterative nature. However, when teaching the design thinking methodology, lack of association with games is being reported (Cooke, Dusenberry & Robinson, 2020). The key research question of this
study addresses whether and how a game-design approach affects teaching the design thinking methodology in a more effective and playful way.
Keywords: game modding, game-based learning, design thinking methodology, e-learning
This study presents an in-progress online learning platform developed in the scope of the Erasmus+ KA2 project T-CREPE (Textile Engineering for Co-creation Paradigms in Education) (t-crepe.eu) with the aim to cultivate the Design Thinking mindset in higher education students. A case study was carried out in four academic institutions in Belgium and Greece during the 2020-21 Spring semester. The platform was used by students (n = 260) as a self-learning tool. The aim of the case study was to test, validate and evaluate the effect of this tool in enhancing their learning experience. A Design Based Research (DBR) methodology was utilized for improving the platform with students’ feedback through pre- and post-surveys, online in-depth interviews, and reflection reports. Students’ opinions that were
collected through these three methods were compiled on NVivo and the data was analyzed through thematic analysis. The most essential properties needed for the development of an online learning platform as mentioned by students, were: skill development, personalization, adjustability, ubiquity,
communication and interaction. The findings of this study may be useful especially for the developers of online learning platforms and design educators interested in pedagogical innovation and unconventional
learning tools in the field of design.
Keywords: pedagogical innovation, game-based learning, independent e-learning, open educational resource.
2021
Nowadays, open educational resources are an essential tool in Higher Education. This article presents a web platform created in the framework of the European project T-CREPE called “planet”. The “planet” assists students and academics from different Universities and educational backgrounds to jointly understand and apply the design process (co- creation) through the Design Thinking methodology, using design tools and games. The contribution of the “planet”, in assisting the design process as well as the collaboration of students with each other as well us with the academic staff in learning and teaching procedure are deliberated. Finally, suggestions for its further improvement are presented.
Key words: Higher education, open educational resources, co-creation, students as collaborators, student-academic collaboration, games, design thinking
This paper reports on a study currently conducted in the scope of an Erasmus+ KA2 project on the subject of co-creation in design education. A case study was carried out on a third-year bachelor design engineering course (“Co-creation”) at which 48 students from different study disciplines, levels and countries worked together in groups to tackle societal challenges. This research aims to gain insights into students’ experiences and problems with regard to taking part in a multidisciplinary co-creation process by scrutinising student’s self- and peer-assessment reports. Findings refer to the essentials and challenges of multidisciplinary co-creation processes from a student perspective. In particular, soft skills were highlighted as fundamental skills while working with peers. Moreover, challenges in collaboration, specifically, in a remote learning environment during the COVID-19 pandemic, were noted. Recommendations were provided for design educators to ameliorate the multidisciplinary co-creation and learning environment in order to sufficiently prepare students for Industry 4.0.
Keywords: multidisciplinary design education, co-creation, student experiences, peer assessments, COVID-19
https://doi.org/10.21606/ drs_lxd2021.04.150
Recent technological advancements have a fundamental potential to transform 21st-century textile engineering [1]. Thus, it is essential to further incorporate innovations in industry. In textile engineering education alike, innovative teaching methods, for instance, learning through virtual reality [5], learning by making [2], and game-based learning [7] are apt, and in fact, required methods to teach these subjects for industry 4.0 in a more understandable and holistic way. Specifically, game-based learning is seen as beneficial in textile engineering education in the part of knowledge acquisition, student engagement and independent learning [7]. This paper presents a pilot study about how online textile games (‘ChoiCo’-Choices with Consequences) co-created with industry partners in the scope of an Erasmus+ KA2 project (T-CREPE), have been incorporated into a design engineering course in a university in Belgium. The purpose of this paper is to reflect on the impact of using digital games in textile engineering education and students’ gains from this approach. Ten (10) textile engineering students participated in questionnaires providing quantitative and qualitative data about the games. Also, reflection reports written by students for each game provided personal insights. The results have shown that games can be useful in textile engineering education by improving students’ 21st century skills (e.g., critical thinking, problem solving, self-learning).
Game-based learning and game-design approaches have been utilized in teaching complex and diverse subjects such as programming, mathematics, and linguistics in order to enhance student involvement, enjoyment and commitment (Squire, 2003). In the design domain, unconventional and creative techniques are also employed due to the design process’ non-linear, ill-structured and iterative nature. However, when teaching the design thinking methodology, lack of association with games is being reported (Cooke, Dusenberry & Robinson, 2020). The key research question of this study addresses whether and how a game-design approach affects teaching the design thinking methodology in a more effective and playful way. Thus, this in-progress study aims to investigate the impact of game modding as a way of game-design on students’ comprehension of the design thinking methodology. Game modding refers to modification of existing games (El Nasr & Smith, 2006) which increases the engagement of players with the game (Sihvonen, 2010) and combines the roles of player and designer (Kynigos, 2004). This paper discusses an online, student-centered, open-source platform developed in the scope of an Erasmus+ KA2 project with the aim to remediate the learning system. The platform conceptualizes the design thinking methodology onto an imaginary planet with 4 continents (phases). Its design was framed by the ideas of constructionism, according to which new knowledge is constructed by students when they collaboratively built public digital artifacts (Papert & Harel, 1991) and by game-based learning approach (Prensky, 2005). The latter is integrated into the platform through the use of “ChoiCo” games (Choices with Consequences) as a way to enable students explore and develop an understanding of the four design thinking stages; discover, define, develop, deliver (Design Council UK, 2021). “ChoiCo” is an online authoring tool developed for playing, designing and modifying choice-driven simulation games related to complex real life issues (Kynigos & Grizioti, 2020). In order to investigate the effectiveness of this online platform on students’ comprehension of the design thinking methodology, a pilot study was conducted at a Belgian University during the 2020-21 Fall semester. The platform with the games was implemented in a 3rd year bachelor design engineering course. Quantitative and qualitative methods were utilized in order to elicit data and information regarding the experience of students and course teachers. 40 students filled out a questionnaire before and during their experience with the ChoiCo games. This quantitative data is supplemented with students’ self-reflection reports and semi-structured interviews conducted at the end of the semester with both teachers and students. The findings of this pilot study provide an insight into students’ motivations for modifying the games and their gains from this experience. The results especially show that game modding contributes to learning the design thinking methodology by making students more conscious and critical of their choices through selecting and utilising relevant tools that enable them to understand better concepts they are dealing with in their design projects.
2020
Available at: https://www.sefi2020.eu/programme/proceedingssefi2020v1.pdf, https://www.sefi.be/proceedings/
Textiles is a multidisciplinary field with a broad variety of applications, that could motivate students from different specialities to get involved in participatory design and co-creation activities. Computational textiles (or e-textiles) have already been used in educational contexts to introduce students in computational and STEM concepts (Kafai et al, 2014, Buechley et al, 2013). Recently, the textile industry has been considered as one of the sectors that need to be synchronised with 2030 Agenda and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the EU (2019), considering sustainability issues of production and consumption of textile products (United Nations, 2015). A new challenge, therefore, is to integrate such issues in textile education. There is a need for new designs that would motivate students to ask questions and seek solutions about textile production in a realistic context, such as what material should be used, how sustainable would the product be, what is the usability of the product etc. In this poster, we present a constructionist design that aims to foster students to investigate, discuss and express meanings on the needs and aspects of an e-textile production process, as they play and modify a choice-driven simulation game with ChoiCo game designer (Kynigos & Grizioti, 2020).
Game-based learning and game-design approaches have been utilized in teaching complex and diverse subjects such as programming, mathematics, and linguistics in order to enhance student involvement, enjoyment and commitment (Squire, 2003). In the design domain, unconventional and creative techniques are also employed due to the design process’ non-linear, ill-structured and iterative nature. However, when teaching the design thinking methodology, lack of association with games is being reported (Cooke, Dusenberry & Robinson, 2020). The key research question of this study addresses whether and how a game-design approach affects teaching the design thinking methodology in a more effective and playful way. Thus, this in-progress study aims to investigate the impact of game modding as a way of game-design on students’ comprehension of the design thinking methodology. Game modding refers to modification of existing games (El Nasr & Smith, 2006) which increases the engagement of players with the game (Sihvonen, 2010) and combines the roles of player and designer (Kynigos, 2004). This paper discusses an online, student-centered, open-source platform developed in the scope of an Erasmus+ KA2 project with the aim to remediate the learning system. The platform conceptualizes the design thinking methodology onto an imaginary planet with 4 continents (phases). Its design was framed by the ideas of constructionism, according to which new knowledge is constructed by students when they collaboratively built public digital artifacts (Papert & Harel, 1991) and by game-based learning approach (Prensky, 2005). The latter is integrated into the platform through the use of “ChoiCo” games (Choices with Consequences) as a way to enable students explore and develop an understanding of the four design thinking stages; discover, define, develop, deliver (Design Council UK, 2021). “ChoiCo” is an online authoring tool developed for playing, designing and modifying choice-driven simulation games related to complex real life issues (Kynigos & Grizioti, 2020). In order to investigate the effectiveness of this online platform on students’ comprehension of the design thinking methodology, a pilot study was conducted at a Belgian University during the 2020-21 Fall semester. The platform with the games was implemented in a 3rd year bachelor design engineering course. Quantitative and qualitative methods were utilized in order to elicit data and information regarding the experience of students and course teachers. 40 students filled out a questionnaire before and during their experience with the ChoiCo games. This quantitative data is supplemented with students’ self-reflection reports and semi-structured interviews conducted at the end of the semester with both teachers and students. The findings of this pilot study provide an insight into students’ motivations for modifying the games and their gains from this experience. The results especially show that game modding contributes to learning the design thinking methodology by making students more conscious and critical of their choices through selecting and utilising relevant tools that enable them to understand better concepts they are dealing with in their design projects.