Disruption, Machine Learning, Internet of Things, Augmented Reality, Industry 4.0 and Rapid Prototyping are just a selection of the buzzwords that come up in connection with the rapid changes in the professional world and society brought about by digitalisation. As frequently occurs when buzzwords are used, their exact meaning is unknown, or remains unquestioned, but the use of them is nevertheless excessive. In this way, the buzzword ‘digital native’ assumes that an entire generation has a command of digital skills simply because they were born into this world and use digital media naturally. Which skills profiles this generation, and therefore a majority of today’s students, actually command, remains vague however, and is rarely explored systematically. The same is true of the specific formulation of necessary skills profiles in the digital world for higher education graduates. In the debate around higher education institutions, the description of the swift digital transition (with or without buzzwords) is not usually followed by a revision of existing curricula. This article describes strategic considerations for a better fit between the skills demanded of students and the challenges of the digital world.
The paper describes the design, facilitation and outcomes of a series of workshops with faculty, staff and students from a teacher education program specialized in vocational education and training (VET). We analyze and reflect upon the facilitation techniques, discussion and participation results, and evaluation of the workshop series. Practitioners and researchers alike will find this article a valuable source for contemplating the effectiveness of design thinking, making and serious play in teacher education. While our case study is situated in the particular context of preparing future vocational teachers within the German VET system, the resulting concepts are applicable to other teacher education programs
Learn anything, anytime, anywhere is the mantra for learning in the digital age. Digital learning opportunities are increasingly challenging traditional classroom learning – but what does this mean for the conceptual design and design-in-use of campus spaces as learning locations? Does space really not matter in learning? During a two-day design thinking workshop an interdisciplinary group of 17 students produced ideas for new learning spaces and mapped out their spatial learning journeys through campus offerings and daily routines. The article describes the workshop concept and resulting insights gleaned from interviews, customer journeys, and prototyping. It offers ideas and examples for creating inviting learning spaces and cultures that focus on co-presence both with and without digital tools.
The article describes and evaluates the concept and format of a 2-day design thinking workshop with vocational teacher candidate students. Drawing from our experiences as instructors as well as the qualitative feedback we received from students, we critically discuss what worked well and what was lost. We contrast the outcomes of this workshop with previous design thinking activities. The results highlight the qualities of design thinking that necessitate interaction in physical spaces, as well as opportunities for design thinking activities in a digitized format. As many regions experience second waves of COVID-19, educational programs will face the challenge of transforming physically co-located instruction to a completely virtual format. Our results can serve as a guide on how to recuperate energy and engagement for highly interactive seminars and workshops