University case.

Design-Based Education

I collaborated with a university to support a shift in its educational approach, adopting design principles across faculties and promoting interdisciplinary learning. This involved running multiple programs, ranging from short workshops to extended collaborations reimagining Bachelor’s and Master’s programs from the ground up. One Bachelor’s programme invited me to lead three workshops over the course of a year, spaced three to four months apart, with the participation of approximately 100 teachers and students. The first two workshops, each lasting a full day, focused on reimagining the overall structure of the Bachelor’s programme. The third workshop, a two-day session, went into detail for the first year of the programme.

Programme Design

Explorative workshop

Using futures thinking and creative exploration, participants crafted scenarios, illustrated key concepts with sketches and physical prototypes, and presented ideas that emphasised the needs and concerns of key stakeholders. The creations were presented and discussed, and captured with photos and recordings.

The outcomes of these workshops were documented and consolidated by a working committee, which used them to create documents titled “Vision on Jobs” and “Vision on Education.”

Simulation workshop

Using a simulation game as a basis, participants took on roles such as teachers, students, policymakers, and industry representatives. Over multiple rounds, they navigated a simulated academic year, negotiating goals and needs, visualising curriculum components, and collaboratively developing scenarios and visions. Participants subsequently swapped roles to broaden their perspectives and clarify the curriculum elements.

The day ended with participants presenting their solution directions and identifying key stakeholders who might support or resist the proposed changes. Incorporating these outcomes, the working committee updated the foundational documents.

Two-day detailing workshop

Participants worked in small groups to define the skills, knowledge, and attitudes, as well as specific design capabilities for first-year students. They mapped stakeholder needs, established strict requirements, and collaboratively designed the curriculum, dividing it into the start, four quarters, and end.

At the end, each group detailed the connections between the segments and presented their work to other stakeholders, including university management. Based on the presentations and feedback, the working committee updated the documents, which were then used to further refine the curriculum.

Deliverables

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development documents, describing “Vision on Jobs” and “Vision on Education”, aligned with stakeholder input and the university’s strategic goals.

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structured curriculum proposal for the first-year curriculum, detailing skills, knowledge, attitudes, and design capabilities, as well as a comprehensive year-long program outline.

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collection of workshop outputs, including photographs, recordings, and stakeholder maps, serving as a repository of insights and ideas for continued refinement.

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program materials (slides, templates, etc.) free to use

More outcomes

Perspectives broadened

Participants were surprised by the clarity gained from exploring the curriculum through different stakeholder lenses. Role-switching in the simulation game deepened empathy and revealed key needs in the academic ecosystem.

Ambiguity navigated

Starting with vague, complex challenges made participants uneasy and impatient. Yet, as the process unfolded, they consistently developed concrete, actionable ideas, surprising and exciting many with how seamlessly everything came together after tackling the ‘fuzzy front end.’