Experience Design & Design Thinking Course

Hybrid everything!

We flipped the classroom into a workshop, and then into an atelier, and then into an exhibition.

We experimented with the different modes how designer and artists scope out and solve problems. We used the diverse space settings we found ourselves in — at home in front of the computer, with our friends, in the city, on planes, on trains, in our workshop space, on campus, in the iconic ateliers of the Van-de-Velde main building —  to flow between these different approaches and mindsets of thinking/collaborating. These deliberate changes in space and with that teaching, coaching, instructing, facilitating style from our side helped the students to navigate through the learning journey.

Rethinking virtual learning experiences

It’s not just about using Miro instead of post-its

We met digitally for 5 days before coming all together in Weimar to put the learnings from the digital learning path into action in the real world. What we didn’t want, was for our participants to sit infront of the computer and push post-its around all the time. We didn’t want to merely translate the physical learning setting into the virtuality by using digital tools. We took advantage of the specific environment and circumstances to create a diverse and engaging learning experience.

That’s why the digital part of the course was centered around individual assignment and creative adventures in the participants local environment — strolling out the neighbourhood, staging an experience for a friend — and then coming together virtually to share and reflect as a group. The physical part of the course was then centered around collaboration and experimentation with their peers.