what is D-Think all about?
D-Think aims to promote a wider use of Design Thinking as a transversal learning tool by developing and making available an innovative digital course supported by mobile learning for education professionals and professional trainers.
As a result, the partnership expects HEI´s (Higher Education Institutions) and VET (Vocational Training) providers to deliver human resources better prepared to respond to the challenges of the labour market, and able to stimulate the growth of flexible and innovative businesses in the future. Additionally, the consortium also expects to impact HEI´s, stimulating their renewal in what concerns learning approaches and methodologies.
As a result, the partnership expects HEI´s (Higher Education Institutions) and VET (Vocational Training) providers to deliver human resources better prepared to respond to the challenges of the labour market, and able to stimulate the growth of flexible and innovative businesses in the future. Additionally, the consortium also expects to impact HEI´s, stimulating their renewal in what concerns learning approaches and methodologies.
why this project?
The need to prepare the present and future workers for an increasingly dynamic society has long been a concern at different political, educational and organisational levels.
This scenario offers an important challenge to the education and training sector. Higher Education Institutions (HEI) and Vocational Training Providers (VETPRO), in particular, have a great responsibility in the success or failure of this adjustment. They are in the unique position to deliver the skills the market requires and the workers lack.
However, it’s consensual that despite a general improvement in the right direction, with the increasing use of ICT - based learning methods and generally more active-based learning methodologies, there is still a long way to go. HEI and VETPRO will need to reposition themselves in the emerging learning landscape. They will need to experiment with new formats and strategies for learning and teaching to be able to offer relevant, effective and high quality learning experiences in the future (Redecker et al 2011).
Design Thinking is a holistic concept of design cognition and design learning that enables students to work successfully in multi-disciplinary teams and enact positive, design-led change in the world. Furthermore, Design Thinking can be seen as a metadisciplinary concept which aims “to deliver a precious methodology for interdisciplinary creative work as it specifically complements mono-disciplinary thinking” (Lindberg et al. 2009). In contrast to analytical thinking in science, which leads to a mono-disciplinary, purely technical and solution oriented way of solving problems, the taught strategies focus on multi-disciplinary teams and the involvement of all perspectives – it is called design thinking (Brown 2008, 2009; Dunne & Martin 2006; Lindberg et al 2009).
Design Thinking within education developed as there was a growing realization that traditional models of learning were not sufficient but teaching design thinking requires a perspective that is not consistent with traditional educational models. “Design Thinking is a creative and productive approach that is very fluid and not tied to set understandings but rather focused on the application rather than accumulation of knowledge. There are a number of approaches that need to be incorporated in teaching design thinking. These ideas include an approach that is project and team based and promotes an accommodating learning style, focusing on innovation and expanding an understanding of technologies used in developing a project. Participatory action research objective, and participant observation methodologies in the research and analysis of a project, can also be incorporated in order to develop better communication between researchers and project participants” (Lee 2012, Establishing Design Thinking as a Third Culture in Learning and Creative Environments).
Roger Martin, Dean of the Rotman School of Management and one of the ideological fathers of the application of Design Thinking in business, defined it as the willingness and capability to build better solutions, than those that already exist (Martin 2004).
The solution is therefore to consider Design Thinking as a catalyst from diverse academic and professional backgrounds and their specific “thinking” (business thinking, computer science thinking, etc.). “Rather than replacing existing thought processes, Design Thinking should complement and connect them, acting as an enabler of changing perspective while managing a holistic approach. Design Thinking is thus a promising integration of Creative Thinking, Business Thinking and Technological Thinking into a new, integrative, flexible, human-centred, holistic and action-based approach (Schneider & Moser 2012, The Mindset Beyond The Myth – Evaluating the future practice, applicability and teachability of Design Thinking through Workshop challenges)
This scenario offers an important challenge to the education and training sector. Higher Education Institutions (HEI) and Vocational Training Providers (VETPRO), in particular, have a great responsibility in the success or failure of this adjustment. They are in the unique position to deliver the skills the market requires and the workers lack.
However, it’s consensual that despite a general improvement in the right direction, with the increasing use of ICT - based learning methods and generally more active-based learning methodologies, there is still a long way to go. HEI and VETPRO will need to reposition themselves in the emerging learning landscape. They will need to experiment with new formats and strategies for learning and teaching to be able to offer relevant, effective and high quality learning experiences in the future (Redecker et al 2011).
Design Thinking is a holistic concept of design cognition and design learning that enables students to work successfully in multi-disciplinary teams and enact positive, design-led change in the world. Furthermore, Design Thinking can be seen as a metadisciplinary concept which aims “to deliver a precious methodology for interdisciplinary creative work as it specifically complements mono-disciplinary thinking” (Lindberg et al. 2009). In contrast to analytical thinking in science, which leads to a mono-disciplinary, purely technical and solution oriented way of solving problems, the taught strategies focus on multi-disciplinary teams and the involvement of all perspectives – it is called design thinking (Brown 2008, 2009; Dunne & Martin 2006; Lindberg et al 2009).
Design Thinking within education developed as there was a growing realization that traditional models of learning were not sufficient but teaching design thinking requires a perspective that is not consistent with traditional educational models. “Design Thinking is a creative and productive approach that is very fluid and not tied to set understandings but rather focused on the application rather than accumulation of knowledge. There are a number of approaches that need to be incorporated in teaching design thinking. These ideas include an approach that is project and team based and promotes an accommodating learning style, focusing on innovation and expanding an understanding of technologies used in developing a project. Participatory action research objective, and participant observation methodologies in the research and analysis of a project, can also be incorporated in order to develop better communication between researchers and project participants” (Lee 2012, Establishing Design Thinking as a Third Culture in Learning and Creative Environments).
Roger Martin, Dean of the Rotman School of Management and one of the ideological fathers of the application of Design Thinking in business, defined it as the willingness and capability to build better solutions, than those that already exist (Martin 2004).
The solution is therefore to consider Design Thinking as a catalyst from diverse academic and professional backgrounds and their specific “thinking” (business thinking, computer science thinking, etc.). “Rather than replacing existing thought processes, Design Thinking should complement and connect them, acting as an enabler of changing perspective while managing a holistic approach. Design Thinking is thus a promising integration of Creative Thinking, Business Thinking and Technological Thinking into a new, integrative, flexible, human-centred, holistic and action-based approach (Schneider & Moser 2012, The Mindset Beyond The Myth – Evaluating the future practice, applicability and teachability of Design Thinking through Workshop challenges)