The wicked problem of teaching about wicked problems: Design thinking and emerging technologies in sustainability education

2020 ◽  
pp. 135050762097485
Author(s):  
Andrew G. Earle ◽  
Dante I. Leyva-de la Hiz
Keyword(s):  
Experiential Learning ◽  
Conceptual Model ◽  
Design Thinking ◽  
Emerging Technologies ◽  
Sustainability Education ◽  
Wicked Problems ◽  
System Level ◽  
Wicked Problem ◽  
Thinking Process

In this paper, we explore the system-level challenges found in sustainability-focused education and consider how the intersections of design thinking and emerging technologies in augmented and virtual reality (AVR) can help address these. More specifically, we highlight the role of experiences across the design thinking process for generating novel solutions to the types of “wicked” problems with which students engage in sustainability education. We then use this as motivation, along with concepts from experiential learning and design thinking research, to develop a conceptual model in which AVR can integrate with more established instructional methods to help make sustainability-related challenges more salient, proximate, and tractable to students. Our conceptual model suggests that AVR holds promise for facilitating and democratizing access to the design thinking process for sustainability-related challenges, but that it is also not a standalone solution for enabling students to engage with such complex challenges.

STEAM Education Using Design Thinking Process Through Virtual Communities of Practice (STEAM-DT-VCoPs)

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 249
Author(s):  
Thiti Jantakun ◽  
Kitsadaporn Jantakun ◽  
Thada Jantakoon
Keyword(s):  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Design Thinking ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
Steam Education ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Thinking Process ◽  
Virtual Communities Of Practice ◽  
Two Phases

These objectives of the study are 1) to design STEAM education using Design Thinking Process through Virtual Communities of Practice (STEAM-DT-VCoPs), and 2) to evaluate the designed STEAM-DT-VCoPs. It divides the research procedures into two phases. The first phase is to design STEAM-DT-VCoPs, and the second phase is to evaluate the STEAM-DT-VCoPs. The sample group of this study comprises fourteen experts selected by purposive sampling. The arithmetic mean and standard deviation analyzed data. The research findings are: 1) The STEAM-DT-VCoPs comprise three steps are 1.1) the role of virtual communities of STEAM practice 1.2) Design Thinking Process through Virtual Communities of Practice, and 1.3) the various disciplines in STEAM education. 2) The experts agree that STEAM-DT-VCoPs is the highest level of appropriateness.

Solving Wicked Diversity, Equity, and Inclusive Problems From a Design Thinking Lens

2021 ◽  
pp. 60-76
Author(s):  
Levester Johnson ◽  
Yselande Pierre
Keyword(s):  
Experiential Learning ◽  
Design Thinking ◽  
Complex Problem ◽  
Learning Assessment ◽  
Wicked Problem ◽  
Central Question ◽  
Equity And Inclusion

The central question that undergirds this chapter is, “How can practitioners see learning from the student's perspective?” The authors address this question to the extent to which diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and experiential learning assessment constitute what design thinkers refer to as a wicked problem – a complex problem that benefits from a multiplicity of perspectives. It will take more than just DEI professionals to unravel these complex and interconnected issues. They look at how institutions currently seek to quantify and qualify their students' learning and experiences – proposing how design thinking, particularly the central quality of “empathy” could enhance these efforts.

scholarly journals Transdisciplinary training: what does it take to address today’s “wicked problems”?

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Euson Yeung ◽  
Leslie Carlin ◽  
Samantha Sandassie ◽  
Susan Jaglal
Keyword(s):  
Training Program ◽  
Curriculum Design ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Optimal Solution ◽  
Wicked Problems ◽  
Relationship Building ◽  
Wicked Problem ◽  
Radical Culture ◽  
Climate Crisis

AbstractThere is a growing need to address today’s “wicked problems” seen in issues such as social justice, global climate crisis and endemic health concerns. Wicked problems are those for which there is no single, clear or optimal solution and thus are amenable to transdisciplinary solutions. Working in a transdisciplinary paradigm is thus seen as an increasingly necessary learned skill, and yet there is a dearth of knowledge on how curriculum centred around transdisciplinarity is perceived by those impacted by such curricula. This study examines the attitudes and responses of Aging Gracefully across Environments using Technology to Support Wellness, Engagement and Long Life NCE Inc.’s (AGE-WELL) stakeholders to the concept and role of transdisciplinarity in a training program intended to equip trainees and research staff from a variety of fields to address the “wicked problem” of aging well in Canada. We conducted 15 in-depth interviews with current AGE-WELL members, trainees as well as researchers and mentors, on the subject of designing the best possible training program. Our data illustrate the complexity of curriculum design and implementation to train for transdisciplinarity. We consider ways in which a shift in culture or ethos in academia may be required to pursue a thoroughly transdisciplinary approach to problem-solving. Short of instituting such a radical culture change as transdisciplinarity, however, strategic and conscientious efforts to integrate multiple and diverse perspectives, to attend carefully to communication and to foreground relationship building may well achieve some of the same goals.

scholarly journals Architecture, Waste, and the Circular Economy

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-3
Author(s):  
Ahmed K. Ali
Keyword(s):  
Circular Economy ◽  
Design Education ◽  
Design Thinking ◽  
Total Solid ◽  
Practice Research ◽  
Education Practice ◽  
American Citizen ◽  
Thinking Process ◽  
Architecture And Design

Waste is a modern global crisis. The world is drowning in an unprecedented amount of waste due to an increasing linear economy model that drive societies to consume more every day. It was reported that the average American citizen consume nearly 32 times more that the average Indian citizen. Companies, businesses, and corporates are continuously racing to deplete the planet’s natural resources in an astonishing rate. The design and construction sector alone is responsible for 30-40% of total solid waste worldwide, yet as architects, designers, and planners the waste problem is almost absent from the current discourse, both in practice and academia. Beyond sustainability, and if ideas such as the Dutch “CircularCity” become more appealing to architects, designers, and clients, the architectural education must adopt a transformational shift in the design thinking process to prepare a more responsible future architect. A shift from goal-oriented design to means-oriented design requires a shift in the design education, and the studio pedagogy. A transformation is needed in education, practice, research, and the related professions to address the current and emerging economic challenges more so post crises and pandemics, and through the built environment lens. It is time to define the role of architecture and design in the circular economy paradigm shift.

Applying Equity Design to Address Oakland’s Homelessness Human Rights Crisis

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia KRAMER ◽  
Julia KONG ◽  
Brooke STATON ◽  
Pierce GORDON
Keyword(s):  
Design Process ◽  
Collaborative Design ◽  
Design Thinking ◽  
Design Teams ◽  
Marginalized Groups ◽  
Thinking Process ◽  
Collaborative Efforts ◽  
Typical Design

In this case study, we present a project of Reflex Design Collective, an experimental social equity design consultancy based in Oakland, California. Since founding Reflex Design Collective four years ago, we have reimagined the role of “designers” to transform relationships structured by oppression. To illustrate this reimagination, we present a case study of our work as ecosystem-shifters. In 2017, we facilitated a co-design innovation summit where unhoused Oakland residents led collaborative efforts to alleviate the burdens of homelessness, with city staff and housed residents serving as allies instead of experts. Our approach to design facilitation differs from a typical design thinking process by pairing our clients with those on the front-lines of social inequity in a collaborative design process. Specifically, we elevate the importance of democratized design teams, contextualized design challenges, and ongoing reflection in a design process. We highlight successes of our design facilitation approach in the Oakland homelessness summit, including outcomes and areas for improvement. We then draw higher-level key learnings from our work that are translatable to designers and managers at large. We believe our approach to equity design will provide managers and designers an alternative mindset aimed to amplify the voices of marginalized groups and stakeholders.

The Role of System-Thinking Development and Experiential Learning on Enterprise Transformation

2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (03) ◽  
pp. 1450021
Author(s):  
Gabriel Lopez ◽  
Thomas A. Mazzuchi ◽  
Shahram Sarkani
Keyword(s):  
Experiential Learning ◽  
Conceptual Model ◽  
System Thinking ◽  
Market Conditions ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
Critical Skills ◽  
Innovative Capabilities ◽  
Enterprise Transformation ◽  
Apprenticeship Program

During challenging market conditions, enterprises have to find ways to develop and train their workforce in a manner that enhances the innovative capabilities of the enterprise. Additionally, if companies are to stay competitive, they have to ensure critical skills in their workforce are transferred from generation to generation. This study builds on recent research on system-thinking development and experiential learning methodologies. First, a conceptual model was created in order to capture a methodology to construct a system-thinking apprenticeship program for system engineers. Then, a survey of system engineering professionals was conducted in order to assess the proposed model; the findings of the model are presented and the implications of the study are discussed.

Cognitive evaluation for conceptual design: cognitive role of a 3D sculpture tool in the design thinking process

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 299-314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeehyun Lee ◽  
Jiwon Ahn ◽  
Jieun Kim ◽  
Jeong Min Kho ◽  
Hyo Yon Paik
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Design ◽  
Design Thinking ◽  
Cognitive Evaluation ◽  
Thinking Process

scholarly journals The role of the university library in creating inclusive healthcare hackathons: A case study with design-thinking processes

IFLA Journal ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 246-253 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bethany McGowan
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Design Thinking ◽  
Instructional Materials ◽  
Learning Approaches ◽  
Inclusive Learning ◽  
Thinking Process ◽  
Addie Model ◽  
The University

Librarians can utilize design-thinking practices to develop instructional materials, in the development of new products and services, and in prototyping novel solutions to problems. This paper will explore the role of design thinking in teaching and learning via the use of the Blended Librarians Adapted Addie Model (BLAAM), and will illustrate how well-designed learning approaches can be used to create inclusive learning environments. It will present a case study showcasing how an academic health sciences librarian utilized a design-thinking process to create a health data literacy instruction service that encourages diverse participation in healthcare hackathons.

scholarly journals No end in sight: How regimes form barriers to addressing the wicked problem of displacement

2021 ◽  
pp. 017084062110448
Author(s):  
Corinna Frey-Heger ◽  
Marian Gatzweiler ◽  
Bob Hinings
Keyword(s):  
Research Question ◽  
Wicked Problems ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Wicked Problem ◽  
Regime Theory ◽  
Longitudinal Case Study ◽  
Institutional Barriers ◽  
Refugee Protection

Wicked problems are complex and dispersed challenges that go beyond the capacity of individual organizations and require a response by multiple actors, often in the form of transnational regimes. While research on regimes has provided insights into such collective responses, less is known about how such regimes may form barriers that hinder and block appropriate responses to addressing wicked problems. Exploring the problematic role of regime-level responses is timely given that many of today’s wicked problems are far from being alleviated and in many instances appear instead to be intensifying. We draw from complementary insights of regime theory and research on institutional barriers to explore our research question: How do regimes form barriers to addressing wicked problems, and which mechanisms sustain such barriers? We explore this question with a longitudinal case study of the transnational regime for refugee protection and its response to displacement in Rwanda. From our findings, we develop a model of dissociation that explains how actors move further away from addressing a wicked problem. We identify four dissociative mechanisms (discounting, delimiting, separating, and displaying) that each create a distinct regime-level barrier. These barriers are distributed and mutually reinforcing, which makes it increasingly hard for actors to find alternative ways of responding to an escalating problem. Our study provides insights for research on regimes and wicked problems as well as studies on institutional barriers. We conclude with policy implications for overcoming those barriers, in line with the wider concerns and motivations of this special issue.

scholarly journals The role of intergovernmental relations in response to a wicked problem: an analysis of the COVID-19 crisis in the BRICS countries

2021 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 243-260
Author(s):  
Jose A. Puppim de Oliveira ◽  
Alexey G. Barabashev ◽  
Christopher Tapscott ◽  
Lisa Ingrid Thompson ◽  
Haoqi Qian
Keyword(s):  
Intergovernmental Relations ◽  
Wicked Problems ◽  
Informal Institutions ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Wicked Problem ◽  
The Political ◽  
Political Systems ◽  
Political Processes ◽  
Brics Countries

Abstract Globally, policy environments have become increasingly more complex with the growth in the number of wicked problems, such as that posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. In their response to these problems, public administrations have, from necessity, become heavily reliant on their intergovernmental relations systems, as the challenges posed generally require multilevel responses. This paper analyzes the role of intergovernmental relations in shaping the responses of the BRICS countries when confronted with COVID-19. We develop an analytical framework to understand the dynamics of intergovernmental relations in these countries. Based on this we assess the capacity of the state and political systems to manage intergovernmental relations and ensure effective responses to the COVID-19 crisis. This framework is based on an analysis of three dimensions of the policy domain: the political and state system, formal and informal institutions, and the political alignment between them. Whilst state and political systems were found to be instrumental in formulating an immediate response to the crisis, informal institutions and political processes also played a prominent role in determining the extent to which strategies were implemented, particularly in countries that are more decentralized. Countries lacking the robust formal institutions needed to facilitate intergovernmental relations and to ensure swift policy responses, tend to deliver ineffective and inefficient results when confronted with wicked problems.

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